Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1957)

J5t Monday, July 1, 1957 Motion Picture Daily WB's Outlook REVIEW: ( Continued from page 1 ) ire the "brightest in the company's listory." "Between now and the first of the ''lew year we will be presenting some )f the strongest entertainment productions ever to bear the Warner eall3ros. shield," Kalmenson said. "We ?a!lvill start the new year with a lineup )f outstanding productions and we \re assured of a continuous flow of 'bp product from our Burbank stulios." Mi aj j, Adding to Story Properties In his message, Warner said: --'There will be no letup in our drive o maintain and further establish the >osition of entertainment leadership Varner Bros, has enjoyed since the company's founding. With many of he current best-selling novels and jop Broadway stage hits on our competed or in-preparation schedule, we ^re constantly adding to our preeminent story properties. We also are egotiating important deals which vill continue to bring to Warner >ros. the finest, most imaginative reative talent. Public Relations Stressed A presentation for merchandising he summer and fall releases was nade by Robert S. Taplinger, viceiresident and director of advertising ^.nd public relations; Gil Golden, naional advertising manager, Meyer M. lutner, national publicity manager, 'nd W. W. Brumberg, head of the leld exploitation staff. in i "*5ma Lollobrigida Cast HOLLYWOOD, June 30 Gina .ollobrigida will portray the Queen )f Sheba in "Solomon and Sheba," in so be produced by her company in ssociation with Edward Small and ltjvrthur Hornblow for United Artists elease, it was jointly announced on erlfriday. King Vidor will direct from »lj script by Julius Epstein and Crane Vilbur. f a ■ Hdrich, UA Sign for 2 HOLLYWOOD, June 30 Asso.iates and Aldrich Co. will produce wo pictures for United Artists reease under a new contract anlounced at the weekend. One will >e "Snipe Hunt," psychological mysery; the other will be based on ohn O'Hara's story, "Now We Cnow." Figaro Board to Meet The annual meeting of stockholdts and a meeting of the board of diectors of Figaro, Inc., will be held it the office of the company here on uly 8 at 11:00 A.M. Rob Baltimore House BALTIMORE, June 30. Two ^ieves held up the cashier of the Jippodrome Theatre here at closing 'ime and escaped with $208. Owner jf the theatre is Isador M. Rappaport. Baffle Hell Wilcox-Neagle — DC A A motion picture not apt to endear the British peoples to the Chinese Reds, but one which may tell American audiences something of what happened in Asia through involved Oriental and Occidental relations. It is the story of H.M.S. Amethyst, engaged in a peaceful mission, carrying supplies up the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, to Nanking, in the spring of 1949. With diplomatic clearance, and no warlike intention, she steamed past the guns of the self-styled "People's Liberation Army" in the height of China's civil war, and was attacked without warning. A small vessel, in river traffic, she had no opportunity to defend herself. Blasted again and again, at point-blank range, the Amethyst went out of control and ran aground, with many of her crew dead and wounded. Help arrived, as a result of her desperate radio messages, in the person of a young naval attache, Richard Todd— remembered for his role in "A Man Called Peter"— who raced overland to take command of the stricken ship, pinned down helplessly by the Reds. He deals directlv with the local Communist boss, a crafty war lord named Colonel Peng (Akim Tamiroff) who wants only confession from the British for their "offense" in the attack— a rank fabrication which the British crew will not admit. The delivery of the ship, the flight down river to rejoin their fleet, the courage of the crew and their commanders make a brilliant revelation of bravery, and also the apparent duplicity of their Chinese captors. Obviouslv, this wasn't made on the Yangtse River, as we remember it in the "National Geographic"— but it is convincing and thoroughly entertaining documentary history. There are three and a half pages of cast and credits, as compared with two pages of synopsis, furnished for this screening— so we can tell you that it has been well produced with British skills, and with every man at his place of dutv. All of the cast are excellent, as is the direction by Michael Anderson, for the Herbert Wilcox production. Outside of Todd and Tamiroff, there are few whose names are known in this market, but the performances turned in will be a credit to our screens, in whatever or wherever local situations may be engaged. It isn't an "art" picture— nor is it just another war picture, for this is high adventure, against a seamy page of history which is still aligned against us in current affairs. Running time, 112 minutes. General classification. Release, not set. Walter Brooks British Exhibitors See 20th-Fox's 'Big Show' Special to THE DAILY LONDON, June 30. More than 2,000 persons were present Friday at the first showing of 20th CenturyFox's product reel, "The Big Show," at the Carlton Theatre. The London presentation signalled the start of showings in all the major cities of Europe. 20th International president Murray Silverstone and Albert Cornfield, 20th's supervisor for Great Britain and continental Europe, and James F. Pattinson, managing director for Great Britain, hosted the feature's debut and met with British exhibitors to discuss further showings throughout the British Isles. Columbia Dividend Columbia Pictures announced Friday that the board of directors has declared a quarterly dividend of $1.06?4 per share on the $4.25 cumulative preferred stock of the company, payable on August 15, to stockholders of record at the close of business on Aug. 1. Seven Reopen (Continued from paqe 1) Gays Mills, Wis., Mrs. Marie Coyne; Rose, Melrose, Wis., H. W. Rucker; Ulen, Ulen, Minn., Osborne Evans; Waverly, Waverly, Minn., Elmer Putnam; Capitol, Parker, S. D., L. E. Jorgensen; and the Twin Kiss (formerly White Warrior), Doland, S. D. Meanwhile, the Boyceville, Wis., Press editorially complimented the nearby town of Prairie Farm (pop. 335) for supporting its 250-seat Prairie Theatre. "Don't let it get away from you," the editor admonished, "because it's wonderful entertainment and certainly fine amusement for the children as well as adults. Down at Two Rivers, Wis., population of about 10,000, they lost their theatre and the businessmen have been mighty sorry ever since." 92 Book 'Joan' Otto Preminger's "Saint Joan" has been set for 92 key bookings within the next three weeks by United Artists. PEOPLE Mrs. Edna R. Carroll, former chairman of the Pennsylvania State Board of Motion Picture Censors, has been installed as president of the Business and Professional Women's Club of Philadelphia. □ Seymour I. Feig, formerly of the sales and legal departments of RKO and more recently with Walt Disney Productions, has joined the legal department of Columbia Pictures. □ Bernard E. Narin formerly treasurer of Raymond Rosen & Co., Philadelphia, has been elected treasurer of Jerrold Electronics Corp., of that city. □ Nils Asther, veteran film actor, has joined the staff of Louis W. Kellman, independent producer in Philadelphia as special representative. □ Sen. Preston Smith of Texas, former president of Texas Drive-in Theatre Owners Association, has been named chairman of that organization's 1958 convention. □ Ted Howard, who has headed his own public relations office for the past 20 years, has been engaged by Warner Brothers home office publicity department to handle special exploitation in connection with the national release of "The Prince and the Showgirl." □ Jack Sage, who has been with the Jam Handy sales division in Detroit, has resigned and has returned to the fold of United Detroit Theatres as manager of the Romona. □ John Nirenberg, formerly with Stanley Warner Theatres in Philadelphia, has been named general manager of the Arcadia Theatre there, also serving in similar capacity for the other houses in the area operated by the Shapiro family. □ Raymond Conner, who managed the Roxy Theatre, Atlanta, during its two years of Cinerama operation, has moved on to another Cinerama, post at the Roosevelt Theatre, Miami, Fla. 20th-Fox to Release Six Films in July Leo McCarey's "An Affair to Remember," Jerry Wald's first production for 20th Century-Fox release, heads a list of six attractions to be released nationally and in New York by the film company in July. The others are "A Hatful of Rain," "Bernardine," "The Abductors," "Apache Warrior," and "God Is My Partner."