Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1958)

Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, June 11, 1958' Television Jodaif The Key (CONTINUED FROM PAGE I) Foreign Operafions Of NT A Are Expanded National Telefilm Associates' foreign operations have been expanded to include representation in apan, Australia and the Philippine Islands, Oliver A. Unger, NTA president, announced yesterday. The three new offices will act as representatives for NTA's television and theatrical properties in the three market areas. In Australia, the NTA representative will be David Yaffa, of the Yaffa Syndicate in Sydney. Representing NTA in Tokyo will be Akim Shimizu of tlie Pacific Television Corp., Chiioku. The Philippine Islands office will be handled by Felipe Ysmael, at Quezon City, Manila. 'Concentration' Starts On NBC-TV on July 28 "Concentration," described as a new entertainment game, will make its debut on the NBC-TV Network, Monday, July 28, Carl Lindemarm, Jr., director, daytime programming, NBC Television Network, has announced. The new show will be seen from 11:30 A.M. to 12 noon, E.D.T., Mondays through Fridays. It replaces "Truth or Consequences." Based on Juvenile Game "Concentration" will be produced for NBC-TV by Barry & Enright. The host will be announced later. The program is based on the children's game of the same name, Lindemann explained. One Man's TViews By Pinky Herman CBS will launch two off-beat television programs, "The Invisible Man" and "World of Giants" a weekly, back-to-back coupling of imaginative thrillers. Skedded for the Fall (Wednesnites in the 7:308:30 P.M. slot) the first is a TVersion of H. G. Wells' story of a British scientist, while the latter deals with an FBI agent's adventures in espionage. Edgar Peterson will produce "Invisible Man" (filmed in London) with Otto Lang to pilot "Giants" which will be filmed in Hollywood. . . . Oldsmobile has signed to sponsor at least two and possiblv four Bing Crosbv 90-minute extravaganzas for next season, the first to back up ABC's new 5-year exclusive contract with the Groaner. . . . Richard Hayes will CBSub for Stan Freeman's June 28 and July 5 radio programs. Howcome this talented songster isn't signed up for his own TV series? ... In addition to handling the ABGhores as producer-director of the new "Andy Williams Show," Bill Hobin will guide the net's top-ranking "Pat Boone Show" when the latter resumes in the Fall. . . . Since returning to Chicago, this time to WGN, "Ding Dong School" has been adding new laurels to its skein of local and national awards. The program will be Ampex-taped for svndication starting in August (another well-deserved golden apple for the teacher, "Miss Frances.") . . . Walter Mirisch has signed Harry Lauter to portray Bat's brother in the forthcoming western flicker, "The Bat Masterson Story" starring Joel McCrea. Lauter is star of the ABCowbov TV'er, "Texas Rangers." it ' ^ Here's a unique "sell" negotiated by MGM-TVeep Bud Barry. Through Tom McDermott (Benton & Bowles) and Ed Ebel (General Foods) Bud sold the TVersion (half-hour film series) of "Father of the Bride" a full year before air time— and a five-year deal at that. Pilot of the situation-comedy will be made on the MGM lot next month. . . . The Walt Framers expect their newest "Big Payoff" in Feb. Mom and Pop "struck it rich" six times already, four boys and 2 girls. . . . Headed for Broadway is the talented Morton J. Metzler, Jr. who gets his sheepskin and English Majority at Cornell next week. The young author and newshawk is editor-in-chief of the Cornell Widow and honorary member of the Quill & Dagger staff. . . . With Carl Jampel Producing and Dick Schneider megging, a new audience-participation TV series, "Lucky Partners" will NBCommence Monday, June 30. The Monday-thru-Friday quizzer, a Martin & Allen Stone package, will be emceed by Carl Cordell with John Gart providing the music. . . . ABC's new TV show, "ESP" based on extra-sensory perception (wha-dat?) which bows in July 11, will be directed by Lou Sposa, formerly with "Chance of a Lifetime." Bud Barry wardlv an action drama idling of the lives of the sailors who manned the ! sea-going rescue tugs on the southwest coast of England during World War II. Their job was to tow back to port merchant srhips which had been crippled by submarines and forced to drop out of convoy. Often these were suicide missions. The tugs had little speed and less armor an^ i were even used for target practice by German sub crews. ' More importantly, perhaps, "The Key" is a tale of a tangled wartimt; love and of an innocent heart that has been ravished by fear and per-J sonal loss. And the film is all the more fascinating for its oblique ap-i proach to the subject. In the pivotal role, Miss Loren is seen as a strange but lovely Swiss Italian girl (her presence in wartime England is never explained) whos0 fiance has been killed at sea on the eve of their wedding. Having some sort of presentiment of his fate, the fiance had given a duplicate ke^ to the apartment he shared with Miss Loren to his best friend, anothcR tug man, with the promise that the friend too would pass on a duplicatd' key so that the apartment should always be occupied. When the film opens, the key has been passed on three times, as eacif tug man has been killed. Miss Loren, in a state of gentle shock and filled with a passionate need to care for someone, is sharing the apartmenjj with Trevor Howard, as well as with all the memories of her lost lovej Holden arrives, an American in the Canadian service who has been asi signed the command of one of the tugs. He and Howard revive an ol^ friendship and Howard, carrying on tradition, passes a duplicate keji on to Holden. Shortly afterwards, Howard is killed, just before he wa^ to marry Miss Loren. At first Holden refuses to move into the apartment but, driven bv loneliness, he eventually does. The arrangement begins platonically buj then they fall deeply in love, so truly in love, in fact, that Miss Lorei comes out of her state of shock and begins to take an active interest in life again. They plan to marry but the strain of his sea duty takes its toll on Holden. Before what he is certain will be a suicide mission, he passes on his key to a friend. He is reported killed. When he does return, Miss Loren is so devastated by Holden's having given away his key.j she tells him to get out. The ending finds her running away to London and Holden vowing to find her "some day." The final motivations in the love story are a bit hazy but nonetheless it is extremely moving. Acting as counterpoint is the war itself. Directoil Reed and producer Foreman have spared no pain or expense in theii exciting sea combat footage, depicting submarine attacks, burning cargo ships and the climactic duel between a tug and a sub that is a lulu. The entire production was magnificently photographed in black-and white CinemaScope on location in England. The sights and sounds are authentic all the wav. The picture, a Highroad presentation and a Car Foreman Picture, quite appropriately is one of the lead items in Colum' bia's Super Seven. Others in the cast include Oscar Homolka, who has a small but im portant role as a philosophical Dutch sea captain, Kieron Moore, Bernarc Lee, Beatric Lehmann, Noel Purcell, Bryan Forbes, Sidney Vivian, Ruperl Davies, Russell Waters, Irene Handl, John Crawford, and Jameson Clark Running time, 125 minutes. Adult classification. Release, in July. Vincent Canbii Columbia Int'l (Continued from page 1) been appointed supervisor, replacing Sigward Kusiel, resigned. Leroy Brauer has resigned as managing director of Australasia and has been replaced by Colin Jones, who has been sales manager of this territory for 23 years. Fernando Rodriguez has resigned as general manager of Japan to take a similar position with Allied Artists. He is replaced by Kintaro Yoshino, who has been sales manager of Japan for seven years. The territory of Michael Bergher, who is vice-president and supervisor of Japan and the Far East, has now been expanded to include Australasia. Judge 60 Campaigns ( Continued from page 1 ) management in both small towns anc large municipalities. The panel of judges includes: Lec Brecher, Ned E. Depinet, Russell V Downing, Leopold Friedman, Emanuel Frisch, Harry Goldberg, Edward L. Hyman, Walter Reade, Jr., Chark' M. Reagan, Sol Schwartz, Joseph M Seider, Gerald J. Shea, George Skouras. Reveal Winners Next Week Winners of the two Awards, one foi large situations and one for smaller situations, as well as the Overseas Plaque, will be announced next week.