Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1959)

Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, April 21, i Grainger Firm (Continued from page 1) Releasing Organization, Inc., and Inter-Continent Films, Inc. Grainger serves as president of the former and Bogeaus president of the latter. In addition to headquarters at the Paramount-Sunset studios here, sales offices will be maintained in several key centers, including New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. European headquarters will be in Paris, with Jack Lamont in charge of sales. Latin American distribution will be handled out of Mexico City, with Laurence Speirman in charge of sales. The first motion picture to be distributed by Inter-Continent Releasing Organization, and produced by its counterpart company, will be "Jet Over the Atlantic," starring Guy Madison, Virginia Mayo, and George Raft, which goes before the cameras in Spain and Mexico beginning Monday, with Bogeaus producing and Byron Haskin directing from a screenplay by Robert Blees and I. H. Cooper. Bicks 'Trust' Suit ( Continued from page 1 ) fornia of Victor R. Hansen, Bicks' former superior. Bicks, who will be 32 next month, has the reputation of being a keen lawyer and enthusiastic "trust-buster." The American Congress of Exhibitors, which has been waiting on the designation of Hansen's successor to seek a conference on a number of desired moves in its program to solve exhibition's most pressing problems is expected to seek an appointment with Bicks soon for an exchange of views. No announcement has been made of Bicks' new position and, in fact, Attorney General Rogers and other Justice Department higher-ups are felt to be soft-pedaling the change. Bicks is regarded as a controversial figure and some observers here suggest the Department, for that reason, wants to remain as flexible as possible where their new appointee is concerned. But as first assistant to Hansen, in the absence of the appointment of another to the post vacated by Hansen, Bicks heads the Anti-Trust Division. Insiders doubt the temporary arrangement will persist for long. Ace has a standing subcommittee with an agenda prepared for the longawaited Justice Department conference. St Happened to Jane Irving Cummings Dies HOLLYWOOD, April 20.-Irving Cummings, who directed more than 50 motion pictures before his retirement in 1954, died here Saturday at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital. Surviving are his wife, Ruth, and a son, Irving, Jr., a screenwriter. Private funeral services will be conducted tomorrow at Pierce Bros. Hollywood Mortuary. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the Los Angeles County Heart Association. CONTINUED FROM PAGE I played bv that wholesome representative of American womanhood Doris Dav. The heroine is not "typical" in the sense that she is a widow, but this permits a romantic triangle in which she is pursued by Jack Lemmon and Steve Forrest— both handsome representatives of the average American male. To top this, and clinch its wide appeal, the picture celebrates a character trait that many Americans like to think of as exclusively their own. This is the quality of "sticking up for one's rights" in the face of formidable odds. For Miss Dav in the picture these "rights" are legal. To make a living for her children she has started a lobster business which hits a snag at the start. Her first shipment is delayed in arriving at its destination through negligence of the railroad over which it was sent. With the aid of Lemmon, local lawyer and her longtime admirer, Miss Dav files a suit against the railroad. From that point the complications start merrily piling up. For the rest of the film Miss Dav, with the assistance of Lemmon and Forrest, playing a New York newspaper reporter who becomes interested in both the case and the lovely plaintiff, wages a running battle with the railroad and its officials. Eventually and inevitably the heroine wins; Big Business with all its power and resources is no match for the American mother aroused. Along the wav the events dreamed up by Norman Katkov, who wrote the screenplay from a story by Max Wilk and Norman Katkov, are steadilv funny. And the most hilarious are those involving Ernie Kovacs as the head of the railroad Miss Day has sued. Lacking most of his bushy hair (shaved for the part) and affecting boisterous and vulgar mannerisms, Kovacs draws a riotous caricature of a business tycoon to whom all women are "broads" and who takes his public relations obligations lightly. Guest appearances are made in the film by several television stars in a series of scenes, in which Miss Day takes her case against Kovacs to the nation over the airwaves. They include Bill Cullen, Dave Garroway, Steve McCormick, Jayne Meadows, Garry Moore, Henry Morgan, Bob Paige, and Betsy Palmer. There is also another "star" in the picture to whom Columbia is giving top billing. This is a lobster called Sam, the pet of Miss Day's children. There are two songs in the picture which are to be used in exploiting it. One is the title number which Miss Day sings during the credits, and the other is called "Be Prepared." This one she warbles with a group of children on a Boy Scout outing. Such scenes as that outing and others taken outdoors are much enhanced by Eastman color photography. The picture was shot in Connecticut rather than Maine, but the first state serves nicely to represent the second. Richard Quine produced and directed this picture, for which Martin Melcher, husband of Miss Day, acted as executive producer through their Arwin Productions. Running time, 98 minutes. General classification. Release, in June. Richard Gertner Doris Day, Jack Lemmon, and Ernie Kovacs in "It Happened to Jane. Hospital Boa (Continued from page 1] 25. Board members and i guests will tour the hospital visit with patients, and be brout to date on progress made since last visit. Among other things the will see the hospital-within-atal developed to take care of pi with chest diseases other than culosis, which has now been i eration a year. Board members and guest; leave New York on June 25 Greyhound buses chartered ii full period to simplify travel am nections. They will go direc Schroon Lake, where the entire will be the guests of Herman W and his sons, Allan, Burton anc man at their Edgewater Mote! previous years. On Friday morning the grou' be taken from Schroon Lake b i Rogers Hospital to spend the meetings, research clinics, an' annual luncheon with patient guests. They will return to Edg Motel Friday evening. The board of directors meetii then take place there Saturday ing with all on the trip in atten Plans for the future will also I, sented and discussed. Return ti York will be on Saturday evenii Kansas City Paper (Continued from page 1 cent opinion of John Andersc state attorney general, that television stations should submf for examination and approval censor board before being t< the Times said: "Whether the attorney would run into Federal juris in stations licensed by the I Communications Commission whether the law is regarded a legal idiosyncrasy is not yef "One point is obvious. Le§ certainly expected the board view to examine all films for tional, charitable and religioi'f poses. . . . The subject of cen, was brought forcibly to the at of the last legislature. After fiimittee hearings in both housf to abolish the censor boarc' killed. Courts would have to that the legislature showed its' to maintain the present laws. Publicists Associate And NSS Sign Pact From THE DAILY Bureai HOLLYWOOD, April 20. tract negotiations between tli licists Association, IATSE Loc and National Screen Servic concluded today with the sig a new two-year contract. The new pact calls for a cent salary increase, appro^ I $25 per week, for all trailer visors currently employed by I* Screen and is retroactive to J 1958. The new pact will rei effect until June 20, 1960.