The Exhibitor (1954)

September 22, 1954 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR Treat For Ballet Enthusiasts”; “Tchaikov¬ sky’s Famous ‘Swan Lake’ Performed With Exquisit Skill By Russia’s Prima Ballerina Galina Ulanova.” Welcome The Queen DocDMEN™J British Information Service (British-made) (Eastman Color) Estimate: Satisfactory travelogue for the art houses. Credits: Produced by Howard Thomas. Commentary by John Pudney, spoken by Edward Ward. Music by Sir Arthur Bliss, Malcolm Arnold; conducted by Muir Mathieson. ' Story: Queen Elizabeth and her hus¬ band Prince Philip are seen taking off on their world tour which takes them first to the British West Indies. They board their yacht, the S.S. Gothic, for the trip to exotic Fiji and Tonga. Presented with a floral garland by Queen Salote, the royal pair head next to New Zealand where the monarch opens the Houses of Parlia¬ ment. After a tour of the vast dominion of Australia, they stop off at Colombo and Uganda where the natives welcome the monarch with the same display of loyalty. At the African port of Tobruk, the royal children join their parents for the final lap of their journey. The royal family make a stop at Gibraltar where the famous barbary apes provide some laughs. Cruising up the English channel, their yacht is escorted by the home fleet. The parade through London gathers a cheer¬ ing multitude. At Buckingham Palace, the royal family makes an appearance as cheering Londoners crowd the streets. X-Ray: This BIS featurette covers a subject that has already been given cov¬ erage on the screen a number of times. However, the film was produced with care and taste and the documentation of the royal couple’s visits to the various ports of the empire with their different and exotic cultures might still be of interest to art houses. A march, “Welcome The Queen,” is heard. Ad Lines: “A Royal Tour”; “Traveling Around The Globe With Royalty”; “The Young British Queen Visits The Strange And Exotic Darker Corners Of Her Empire.” MISCELLAHEOUS Half Way To Hell Compilation 60m. (Hallmark) Estimate: Indictment of dictatorship can be sold. Credits: Produced and narrated by Quentin Reynolds. Story: This traces the history of dic¬ tatorship and its terrible consequences from the world-dominating ambitions of the German Kaiser, the Czar of Russia, Hitler, and Mussolini to the rising tide of Communism today. Seen are German con¬ centration camps; Hitler’s armies march¬ ing into Poland and other countries; the gradual oppression and despair of the people; the destruction of cities and the maiming of the inhabitants; and " the all too familiar speeches of Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin. Also shown are the oppressed peoples, fanatical followers, and blind human automatons of these “leaders”; bombed out cities; battle grounds; and the elegant palaces in which the /‘rulers” lived. As the film unfolds, the pattern of totalitarianism and conquest becomes all too obvious. X-Ray: This is a gripping and power¬ ful compilation. Many of the scenes are crude due to photographic conditions and imperfect preservation of prints, but this does not lessen their impact as edited by Reynolds. Some of the shots were act¬ ually smuggled out of the countries be¬ hind the Iron Curtain. All are authentic. This is being paired with “Karamoja” as an exploitation package. Ad Lines: “Every American Should See This Damning Film”; “Dictatorship Ex¬ posed In A Brilliant Film Compilation By Quentin Reynolds”; “History’s Truth Pre¬ served On Film As A Warning To All Americans.” The Shorts Parade FOUR REEL Color Musical SONGS OF THE RUSSIAN LAND. Artkino. 41m. A series of folk songs and dances from the various peoples that make up the Soviet Union are heard and seen here in Sovcolor. The songs all sound the same and the lengthy running time could be of interest only to the national groups concerned. FAIR. TWO REEL Color Cartoon SISTER ALENOUSHKA AND BROTHER IVANUSHKA. Artkino— Color Cartoon. 13m. This cartoon fairy tale tells of a brother and sister who live in a country cottage. The older sister is al¬ ways warning • her younger brother to beware of certain things in the area. The youngster, however, paying no heed to the warning drinks some water which turns him into a lamb. This naturally causes some consternation with his sister who is eager to marry a wandering prince. Things turn out okeh though. Sister be¬ comes a bride and the lamb becomes a boy again. FAIR. Comedy THE BIG BEEF. RKO— Edgar Kennedy Reissues. 17m. When first reviewed in The Servisection of November, 1945, it was said: “Edgar Kennedy invites his boss for dinner, and promises him a steak. His wife and relatives mistake a book salesman for the boss, and give him the steak. Kennedy, who has been stuck in the garages, fixes the ‘mis-steak’ by in¬ viting the boss the next evening. He has a tough time getting the meat, but his brother-in-law fixes everything by or¬ dering a 1,000-pound steak from a meat dealer. When the boss arrives, he is shown . the meat, which turns out to be a live cow. Of course, Kennedy does the ‘slow burn.’ FAIR.” (53503). CUTIE ON DUTY. RKO— Leon Errol Re-releases. 17m. When first reviewed in The Servisection of November, 1943, it was said: “Leon Errol is hunting for the jewelry department in a department store, when he is sidetracked by a blonde dem¬ onstrator of glassware. Before he leaves, he is persuaded to buy a set of the pot¬ tery for his wife as an anniversary present. A neighbor sees him at the counter, and informs his wife that he was flirting with the blonde. Wifey goes home to mother, but this worthy char¬ acter sends her back to give Errol another* chance. The blonde salesgirl from the store comes to the house to give the Errol’s a demonstration. Errol hides her before the returning missus enters the apartment. Her boy friend, however, dis¬ covers Errol hiding her in a laundry hamper and tries to murder him. A cop takes both blonde and boy friend into custody, while Mrs. Errol takes care of Leon. GOOD.” (53703). HIS HOTEL SWEET. Columbia As¬ sorted Favorite Reprints. 17m. When first reviewed in The Servisection of July, 1944, it was said: “Hugh Herbert, with a jealous wife, tries to console Jack Norton who, thinking his wife has been untrue to him, is determined to commit suicide. Herbert persuades him to learn the man’s identity, and kill him instead. Finally, Norton finds his wife in Herbert’s room, and Herbert’s wife finds likewise for a mildly slapstick finish. Isabel Withers and Christine McIntyre are the wives. FAIR.” (7421). HOST TO A GHOST. RKO— Edgar Kennedy Reissues. 17m. When first re¬ viewed in The Servisection of August 1947, it was said: “Edgar Kennedy learns that his pesky brother-in-law has entered the real estate business, and that his first move was to sell his house. Kennedy, in order to spite the family, decides to move into a haunted house. The first night turns out to be a nightmare, but the fadeout finds everyone happy except Kennedy, who learns that in order to _buy his house back he must pay more than he received. BAD.” (53501). KNUTZY KNIGHTS. Columbia— Stooge Comedies. 17y2m. The Three Stooges are singing troubadors in the Middle Ages who become involved with royal intrigues. The princess wants to marry a blacksmith but her father, the king, wants her wed to the Black Prince. Befriending the prin¬ cess, the trio plan to help her wed her lover. They learn that the Black Prince intends to kill the king when he marries the daughter thereby gaining the throne. The Stooges foil this plot and the grate¬ ful king gives his blessings to his daugh¬ ter’s marriage to the blacksmith. GOOD. (7401) . NOISY NEIGHBORS. RKO— Edgar Kennedy Reissues. 17m. When first re¬ viewed in The Servisection of October 2, 1946, it was said: “Edgar Kennedy buys a new car, and gets a $200 allowance on his old one. His brother-in-law, Jack Rice, buys the car from Kennedy for the $200, thinking that if he fixed it up he could get more money for it. The catch is that Rice borrowed the money from Ken¬ nedy’s wife. Trying to fix up the car, a neighbor is kept from sleeping. The noise gets worse, until finally he pushes the car down the runway where it crashes, and is now worth only $10 in junk. The new car comes, and the horn sticks. Ken¬ nedy, trying to escape the neighbor, dashes the wrong way through traffic, and just misses crashing it. FAIR.” (53502). OH PROFESSOR BEHAVE. RKO— Leon Errol Re-releases. 18m. When first re¬ viewed in The Servisection of March, 1946, it was said: “Leon Errol’s jealous wife returns home to find as house guest a professor, whom neither she nor Errol knows is a beautiful woman. He finds out first, and after the usual chasing in and out of rooms, she, too, learns once again of her husband’s innocent (?) duplicity. FAIR.” (53701). WHEN WIFIE’S AWAY. RKO— Leon Errol Re-releases. 20m. When first re¬ viewed in The Servisection of March, 1941, it was said: “Leon Errol thinks his wife is going away, gets mixed up with an actress, and has to impersonate his grandfather. Even Errol fans will be hard-pressed to find this funny. FAIR.” (53702). Servisection 5 3841