Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1959)

24 Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, January I| National Pre -Selling TWENTY-EIGHT years ago a London parlormaid named Gladys Aylward left her job and set off alone for China to work as a missionary. After a hazardous journey through Siberia, she arrived in Yangshen and began devoutly caring for the Chinese. She has been at it ever since, unknown until publication last year of an account of her life, "The Small Woman." Now, with the release of 20th-Fox's "The Inn of The Sixth Happiness" in De Luxe color, her fame will be worldwide. "Life" in the Jan. 12 issue has published a pictorial essay on the film made on location in Wales. The article also has photos of Miss Aylward, who is carrying on her life's work in Formosa. • "torn thumb," that enchantingly told fairy tale, won the "Parents' Magazine" Family Medal Award for December and "The Geisha Boy" starring Jerry Lewis, who plays a magician in Japan with a Japanese youngster as an assistant, won the "Parent's" Medal for January. • "The Perfect Furlough" is the UI comedy about a Parisian holiday enjoyed by a G.I. and a beautiful girl. This furlough was planned to boost the morale of the troops stationed on a polar base. Florence Somers in the January issue of "Redbook" says, "There's plenty of room for humorous incidents in such a situation and this comedy is full of laughs." Tony Curtis plays the G.I., Janet Leigh is the Army lieutenant and Linda Cristal, the beautiful girl. • Alice Kastberg of the '!Ladies Home Journal" tells in the January issue, how she appeared in the film "Naked Eye" and did not know she was being photographed until she saw herself on the screen. She said she merely went into a camera store to buy a roll of film, and was floored when she saw herself on the screen. That is almost as good as being discovered at Schwab's drug store in Hollywood. • Edward Everett Tanner HI, the author of the novel on which "Auntie Mame," the Warner film, was based, is profiled pictorially in the Jan. 20 issue of "Look." This film is breaking records at Radio City Music Hall. The article stars off on a two-page spread with Rosalind Russell in many of the striking Orry-Kelly costumes which she wears in the picture. A comedy skit, shown in a series of photos, at author Tanner's home helps to explain why his stories create so much laughter. • Sal Mineo, in a signed article appearing in the January issue of "Seventeen," tells about his role as "White REVIEW: The Last Mile UA — Vanguard This grim and totally unrelieved story of violence and death is marked by extraordinary performances by Mickey Roonev, who has carved out a niche for himself as a killer, and by stage and television players new to the screen but deft and adaptable in their parts. It is the third and most ambitious project by the voung and enthusiastic production partnership of Max Rosenberg and Milton Subotsky and was made entirely in New York with production polish and technical competence the equal of anv Hollywood product. The story is from the successful Broadway play of the 1920's and adheres, as did the original plav, to a single minded indictment of capital punishment. As such it is riding a new and increasing wave of controversy which mav help it at the box office. The action takes place wholly in the death house of a state prison and the first half of the picture dwells heavily on the fears, the hopes of a stay, and the bitter resentment of the eight prisoners awaiting their turn in the electric chair. Roonev plays Killer Mears, most depraved of the lot, whose flaming hatred of the sadistic guards finally erupts in a wild and bloodv prison break. Other prisoners are played by Harry Millard, John McCurry, Ford Rainev, John Seven, Michael Constantine, John Vari and George Marcy. Clifford David is the second lead as the young and frightened idealist who in the end revolts against Rooney's cold blooded cruelty. Frank Overton plays the chaplain whose unwavering faith and total lack of fear cows and then enrages Rooney. The last part of the picture, a bloodv battle between the prisoners who have overpowered the guards, taken possession of the cellblock and hold three of the guards and the chaplain as hostages, is grim, violent and eruptive. At the climax Roonev, who has already shot two of the guards in cold blood, threatens to similarly kill Overton unless the warden, Alan Bunce, gives him a clear passage to freedom. David revolts at this, grapples with Roonev and is hit by a machine gun bullet from outside the cells. Overton pleads with Rooney to surrender and get David to a doctor but David begs not to be patched up onlv to die again. Roonev shoots him and then, knowing his cause is hopeless, walks out into a hail of machine gun bullets. It is a powerful document, even if one sided, and a very ably acted motion picture. Howard Koch directed with a proper eye for timing and suspense. Running time, 81 minutes. Adult classification. Release, in January. James D. Ivers 'Old Man' ( Continued from page 1 ) president. The film has been presented previously only in selected special engagements on a reserved-seat basis. More than 300 theatres in the New York metropolitan area will be involved in the saturation booking, combined with 110 theatres in metropolitan Los Angeles. During the three-week period, a total of nearly 500 prints of "The Old Man and the Sea" will be utilized, 110 in the New York area, 45 in the Los Angeles area and more than 300 elsewhere across the country. Bull" in Walt Disney's "Tonka." Sal says he had never been on a horse in his life. Therefore, to prepare himself for the part of an Indian brave, he spent six hours a day, seven days a week, for four weeks learning how to ride. He did this because he insisted on doing his own riding, and refused to use a stunt man for the difficult scenes. He was thrown during one of the scenes and ended up with a broken kneecap. Walter Haas Cleveland Council Sets Kid Matinee Symposium Special to THE DAILY CLEVELAND, Jan. 13.-The Motion Picture Council of Greater Cleveland will meet Thursday in The Higbee Company for a symposium on Children's Matinees conducted by Mrs. James S. Mumper, Children's Matinee chairman. Panel speakers will be Judge Albert A. Woldman of the Juvenile Court of Cuyahoga County, touching on his court experiences; Mrs. Anne Falther Laganke, director of Family Health Association, talking on the health and family viewpoint, and Harry H. Anderson principal of Mayflower Elementary School speaking from an educator's point of view. Subject of the symposium is "Is It Up To Us?" The subject is apparently a follow-up of the Council's efforts to extend the special Saturday movie matinees for children and the exhibitor response that they will gladly show the approved pictures if the Council will make an effort to see that the children attend these special programs. 'Sinbad' Gross $3,484,0 In 400 Theatres, 19 Do Special to THE DAILY NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 13. . first 19 days of domestic through Jan. 4, Columbia's "1 Voyage of Sinbad" grossed $ 000 at the boxoffices of 400 tl it was reported today by Rub ter, vice-president and genera, ager, here for a sales meeting, also said that reports from las) end, the first since the end Christmas-New Year holiday indicate that the film is mair the same pace with which it World Film Festin Slated in Argentk Special to THE DAILY BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 10 fj Mail)— The Argentine Associa Film Critics is organizing at national Film Festival to take Mar del Plata, Argentina's m shionable summer resort, 25i from Buenos Aires. The Federation Internation Associations du Producteurs d i has already acknowledged reo and the Argentine National of Cinematography has also i the event, which will take pi j tween the 10th and 20th of Invitations have already b tended to the following 22 cc England, Spain, France, Ital many, Sweden, Switzerland, ! Russia, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yu^j Japan, United States, Mexico, India, Brazil and Chile. Miss Taylor Name ( Continued from page I annual drive-in convention hetl Taylor was cited for her "sufl and meritorious contribution to two outstanding box office tions of 1958, 'Cat on a Hot 1 and 'Raintree County.' " Miss Taylor was the top tar in the 1958 poll of e taken by "Motion Picture He)! Fame Magazine to name the money-making stars of the y The new Hollywood per; who will attend the convent ! also announced today. They' Morrow, James Darren and E j lund of Columbia and Lind; of Universal. Consultants Organ Organization of Thana Sko sociates to offer editorial at services in the motion pictur television and theatrical fie j announced here. Additionally, firm will provide its client f with advertising-publicity-exj || programs tailored to their ir| connection with its proposed services, TSA will analyze properties with regard to the i ! film, radio-television and I theatre markets.