Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1958)

Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, January 15, O'Shea Retires (Continued from page 1) to the home office as Eastern district manager. Thereafter, lie was successively, Central sale's manager and Eastern and Southern sales manager. He left M-G-M to become vice-president and general sales manager of Liberty Films and, when the latter was acquired by Paramount he became vice-president and assistant general sales manager of Paramount Film Distributing Corp. He left Paramount in May, 1956, for the Magna post, in which he supervised the first 39 roadshow installations of "Oklahoma!" N. Y. Variety Appoints Chairman for Drawing The appointments of Charles Smakwitz as chairman of the Variety Club of New York's fund-raising drawing on behalf of the Cancer Control Research Foundation, and Irving Dollinger and Harold Klein as co-chairmen have been announced by Ira Meinhardt, chief barker, Tent No. 35. Ten crew members have been appointed by each co-chairman as team captains for follow-up with the membership. The drawing will be held on February 17, and prizes of two round trips for every 500 tickets sold will be awarded to lucky winners to attend the Variety Club International Convention to be held in London this April. SIDG Grants Powers The Screen Directors International Guild, by a unanimous vote at a special session of its membership, has passed a resolution granting its executive board extensive powers to enforce immediately the Guild's rights as a collective bargaining body. SDIG, formed in September, 1957, has a membership of close to 300 working film directors, representing over 95 per cent of the directors in the New York area. The Mo&re Only De luxe Service Every Night, Overnight New York to London BRITISH OVERSEAS AIRWAYS CORPORATION Reservations through your travel agent or BOAC, 530 Fifth Avenue, New York 36, N. Y. MUrray Hill 7-8900. REVIEW: Bonjour Tristesse Preminger — Columbia — CinemaScope Not many novels in recent vears have been so widely publicized and discussed, and consequently enjoyed a strong position on best-seller lists, as "Bonjour Tristesse." It tells, in a sophisticated manner popularly associated with the French, of the corrupt effect upon a modern adolescent girl of the steady stream of love affairs in which her widowed and libertine father indulges. Perhaps it would not have been considered quite so "daring" and "bold" a book had it not been for the fact that it was written by a precocious 18-vear-old French girl named Francoise Sagan. Authoress Sagan is still verv much in the news today some three years later, having written in the interim two more books. Her name and that of "Bonjour Tristesse" will be of great help to exhibitors in exploiting the film version, which Otto Preminger has produced and directed for Columbia release. The picture has as one of its stars Jean Seberg, who has also been the recipient of much publicity recently in connection with her selection by Preminger to star in his "St. Joan" following a world-wide talent search. This new and modern-dress role is a more congenial one for the attractive Miss Seberg, and, except for some occasional difficulty with speech modulation, she handles in competent manner the mercurial moods of a wilful adolescent who interferes in one of her father's love affairs with disastrous results. David Niven is cast in the part of her fickle parent, and Deborah Kerr is the woman he finally decides he wants to marry. The latter two actors are veiy much at ease in the plush settings of the picture, which are the haunts of Paris cafe society. They range from Left Bank bistros to an elaborate beach house on the Mediterranean, with most of the major action taking place in the latter locale. The storv is told in flashback form with Miss Seberg in Paris at the start and recalling the events of the previous summer on the Riviera as she tours night clubs with a party of friends one evening. The scenes in Paris are photographed in black-and-white, while those on the Riviera are in color. (All scenes are in CinemaScope.) This device is apparently intended to contrast the past and the present as well as carefree days with remorseful ones. In the course of her reverie the heroine remembers her own summer romance with a young man (agreeably played by Geoffrey Home) as well as those of her father with two mistresses. He discards the first (enacted in an amusing style by newcomer Mylene Demongeot) after he becomes attracted to Miss Kerr, whom he has also invited to be his house guest for the season. The latter is a somewhat reserved and prudish person— at least in comparison with her companions— and Niven decides he would like to marry her. This upsets Miss Seberg, who sees Miss Kerr as a threat to her own relationship with her father and she schemes, with the assistance of Home, who has become her lover, to have Niven regain his interest in the prior mistress. This is successful to the point of driving Miss Kerr to suicide in an automobile wreck. M. A. Bergnu ( Continued from page 1 ) plays in the world today," tin nouncement said. The program will emphasize the film industry has grown in more than half a century to a one making important contribute the social and economic welfai the entire nation. The Association authorized ] man's assignment upon the re mendations of the MPAA adveri and publicity directors comm with which he will cooperate oi program. In addition to directing special activity, Bergman is als< suming the duties of Oscar A. I who has resigned, effective Feb 15. Bergman will work with the vertising and publicity directors • member companies in coordin the business building program. Praised by Industry Leader Johnston expressed warm sat tion that such a top priority as ment could be filled with a mi Bergman's outstanding qualificati Other expressions of enthusias Bergman's appointment came top leaders of the industry, inch Ernest G. Stellings, president ol Theatre Owners of America, Julius M. Gordon, head of i5 States Association. Bergman this week resigned his at Universal Pictures as Eastern t and story head. Previously he served as director of public rela assistant to the president and Ea head of advertising and publicity also served as head of advertisir 20th Century-Fox and as head o vertising and publicity for Coin Pictures. Prior to his association these film companies, Bergman been an account executive at Lo Thomas, and advertising executiv Publix Theatres. Lazarus Lauds Doob [ At the same time the announce, of Bergman's appointment was n Paul N. Lazarus, Jr., chairman o advertising-publicity directors mittee, speaking for all of his j leagues on the committee, stated Oscar Doob performed a remarl job during his six month's tei Doob, Lazarus pointed out, hasj ^ ceded to the committee's reque' stay on until February 15, organs 31 the campaign to promote the Acac1 Awards ceremonies and telecast. In the screenplay of Arthur Laments, "Bonjour Tristesse" has some passionate love scenes, much sophisticated patter loaded with double entendre, an occasional moment of pathos and a strong atmosphere of moral corruption. On the other hand, the characters unfortunately are never very interesting in themselves and only rarelv engage audience sympathy. There is a song, sung in a night club scene by Juliette Greco, also called "Bonjour Tristesse," that nicely conveys the mood of "bittersweet Foreign Aid Campaig sadness," which is, roughly translated, what the film's title means. Running time, 94 minutes. Adult classification. Release, in February. Richard Gertner a Johnston Starts Work : i !, Variety Meet Friday The annual installation meeting of the Variety Club of New York, Tent No. 35 will be held on Friday, at Toots Shor's Restaurant. Balph Pries, representing Variety Club International, will install the officers who have been elected to serve for 1958. Lunch for Japanese A luncheon will be given here on Friday, .lanuary 24, at the Miyako Bestaurant for Shiro Kido, leader of the second annual Japanese Film Week delegation, and the five motion picture executives and six actresses here from Tokyo for the film festival. From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Jan. 14-As dieted some days ago, the Presi has asked Motion Picture Associe president Eric Johnston to hea campaign to enlist popular sup for the Administration's foreign program. Johnston, at a White House r conference with press secretary Ja Hagerty, declared that he would : call a conference of 600 to 700 lea of private organizations. !