Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1959)

I REVIEW; Subway in the Sky UA Ingeniously contrived to achieve suspense and boasting the presence of Hildegarde Neff for sex appeal and Van Johnson for sohd professional acting, this melodrama from tlie British producing team of JohnTemple-Smith and Patrick Filmer-Sankey is well done for its category. Lifting it above the soap opera class are the performances of Miss Neff as a night club singer, and by Van Johnson as a U.S. Army doctor sought by the mihtary police on charges of black marketing drugs and murder. The action is kept on the move and the story threads carefully woven in the meticulous manner of the British in the direction by Muriel Box. The screenplay is by Jack Andrews from a play by Ian Main. Miss Neff subleases an apartment in Berlin from Katherine Kath, Johnson's wife, without knowing anything about her or her husband. Her first night there she finds Johnson hiding on the terrace. He tells her he has been falsely accused of selhng drugs on the black market, that the mihtary pohce are after him, that he has not seen his wife in six months and that he is looking for her on the possibihty that she may have stolen the key to the drug vault from him. Miss Neff beheves his story and hides him from the poUce. Cec Linder, captain of the M.P.'s, plays a cat and mouse game vwth the pair, being practically certain that Johnson is hiding in the apartment. Miss Neff's growing love for Johnson is in conflict with her doubts about his guilt. Both elements add to the suspense until Johnson's stepson is revealed as the villain and is knocked out by Miss Neff in as brutal a man and woman fight as has been seen recently on the screen. Miss NelFs sensuous appeal is effectively displayed in a night club scene in which she sings a hot ballad "It Isn't Love" and in a sequence in a shower at the apartment. Running time, 85 minutes. General classification. September release. JDI Plan Film Festival For New Murray Hill Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, September is, igi MCA, Offering Public Stock, Shows October Popcorn fete Growth as Entertainment Giant To S/ress AIerc/ionrf;j;n An mdex of the rapid growth of Music Corporation of America as an entity m the entertamment world and of its growing importance in the motion picture mdustry is given in the prospectus issued this week in connection with the company s first public offering of stock MCA owns the Universal studio and, under the terms of its purchase of the studio property for $11,250,000 last February, leases it to Universal Pictures for a minimum of $1,000,000 annually. Continued Growth In 1958 MCA's gross revenues were $48,400,000 compared with $39,500,000 in 1957 and $15,200,000 in 1954. Earnings last year were $4,328,000 equal to $1.18 a common share, up from $4,121,000 the preceding year or $1.12 a share. The prospectus shows continued growth this year with earnings in the first six months of 1959 at $2,457,000 or 67 cents a common share compared with $2,381,000 or 65 cents a share in the first half of 1958. The statement shows MCA's revenue from television films and studio rentals far exceeds the money the company receives in agency commissions, its original business. Last year the TV film and rental revenue totalled $38,600,000 while agency commissions totalled $8,800,000. Applies For Permission The company has applied for SEC permission to issue 400,000 shares of common stock to the pubhc and plans to apply for listing on the New York Stock Exchange. Chief holders of the present outstanding stock are Jules G. Stein with 1,430,000 shares and Lew Wasserman with 715,000 shares. An International Festival of Fihns, consisting of previews of new fihns from five countries, will be held at the new Murray Hill Theatre here, just prior to its public opening. Entire proceeds of the performances will go to the scholarship fund of the United Nations International Children's School. Starts Oct. 3 The festival will run from Saturday, Oct. 3, to Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the new Rugoff and Becker showcase. Films from Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, France and Latin America will be screened, with the festival concluding with the American premiere of Universal International's "Pillow Talk," which will be the first regular attraction at the Murray Hill. Albany Drive-In Installs Heaters; Remains Open Special to THE DAILY ALBANY, N. Y., Sept. 14.-Fabian's Mohawk Drive-in, located midway between Albany and Schenectady, is instaUing Bernz-o-matic heaters for winter operation. Division manager Elias Schlenger said the change-over will be ready by Oct. 15. Five hundred heaters have been ordered for the almost-l,000-car drivein, the largest in this immediate area and slightly surpassed in size by only one other drive-in in this exchange district. The Mohawk also will have a snow plow. The concession stand and rest rooms will be heated. Admission will continue to be 80 cents for adults, no extra charge being made for heaters. Jim Fisher, owner of the Hollywood at Averill Park, N.Y., was the first to install heaters and schedule winter operation in this section. Later Alan V. Iselin did likewise, on a bigger scale, at the Turnpike in Westmere and then, at the AutoVision in East Greenbush. Korea To Turn Out 150 Features In '59 From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Sept. 14. The young Korean motion picture industry expects to produce some 150 feature films this year, according to a Commerce Department report. Film chief Nathan D. Golden said this compared with about 84 films produced in 1958 and is approximately ten times 1954 production. Some 65 features have already been produced this year. Probably the biggest impetus to the growth in production was a 1954 law exempting domestic films from the 115% theatre admissions tax. Right now there are three motion picture studios in Korea, with some 74 companies listed as producers. Veeck to Speak ( Continued from page 1 ) Sherman in Chicago Nov. 8-12. Veeck, widely known as a top-grade showman whose promotional activities fanned boxofBce attendarc.3 for the White Sox tremendously, will address the luncheon on Tuesday, Nov. 10, convention program co-chairmen Richard H. Orear of Kansas Citv, Gerald J. Shea of New York, and Dwight L. Spracher of Seattle, announced. Veeck accepted the invitation to speak jointly tendered by George G. Kerasotes, TOA president, and David Wallerstein, President of Balaban and Katz and chairman lor the convention. Veeck's noon appearance will be preceded by a morning shovraianship session, at which Robert Sehg of Denver, Colo., will be chairman, and Max Youngstein of United Artists, and Joseph Levin of Embassy Pictures will be among the speakers. Adrian Services Wed. HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 14. Funeral services for Gilbert Adrian, 56, film dress designer and husband of actress Janet Gaynor, who died yesterday following a stroke, will be held Wednesday, 3 P.M. at Pierce Brothers Hollywood Mortuary. Adrian is survived by his widow and son, Robin. Mrs, Theresa Andrews CLEVELAND, Sept. 14.-FuneraI services were held here last week for Mrs. Theresa Andrews, mother of Stephen and Wilham Andrews, shippers for the M-G-M and Paramount exchanges here, respectively. 'Skyscraper' to Burstyn World distribution rights to "Skyscraper," a 20-minute fihn which was awarded first prize at this year's Venice Film Festival, have been acquired by Joseph Burstyn's Film Enterprises. Popcorn will be spothghted in t most potent national promotion in t history of the product, the 8th ai nual Popcorn Fall Festival. The advertising and merchandisiii event, coordinated by the Popcorn I stitute, is timed to dehver its sal messages to consumers during tlmiddle of October and early Nover ber, the peak sales period for th high-profit item. CHmax of the car paign will be National Popcorn Wee October 25-November 1. Extensive Promotions The 1959 Popcorn Fall Festiv. will be supported by national telev sion and outdoor advertising; the mo extensive publicity ever to appear c behalf of popcorn in national mag; zines and newspapers and on radi and television; a full hne of powerfi point-of-sale materials; and hard-hi ting trade promotion. The full impact of this huge pre motion will be charmeled into pop corn sales in the nation's theatres vi merchandising materials produced b. the Popcorn Institute and the Coc Cola Company, trade promotion, anc^ national publicity beamed at the mo vie-going public. Two entirely new types of point, of-sale aids have been produced \)\ the Institute to help concessionaire' cash in on the Popcorn promotion One is an unusual poster kit, the othe^ a set of two announcement trailer; which sell popcorn exclusively. j Former Loew's House Renamed the Donnelly Special to THE DAILY BOSTON, Sept. 14. Cardinaljj Gushing has announced that the former Loew's State Theatre in thel. Back Bay will be named the Don« nelly Memorial Theatre in honor of a one of New England's most distin guished Catholic famihes. The theatre was purchased recently by the archdiocese for year-round use oi in the church's educational activities. It will be open to the public at certain times for the showing of religious films. It was tentatively called the Cardinal Theatre. Cardinal Gushing announced "a princely benefaction made to the archdiocese of Boston by Edward C. Donnelly, Jr., and Mrs. Raymond Stuart on behalf of the Donnelly family in memory of deceased members." Donnelly is president of John Donnelly & Sons and its affiliates and is a national leader in outdoor advertising. He has headed the Suffolk County March of Dimes and has been active in many other worthy causes including the Jimmy Fund. 'Cordura' Premieres ( Continued from page 1 ) announced yesterday by Rube Jackter, Columbia vice-president and general sales manager. Jackter said that the twin openings would launch a series of key city engagements currently being negotiated.