The Exhibitor (1959)

MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 4607 K ' . • ‘ July 15, 1959 on the preserve, is in love with McGoohan and angry at the arrival of Lee. Enroute to meet Lee, McGoohan wrecks his jeep and is attacked by lions. Badly mauled, he straps himself in a tree as a fire starts in the under¬ brush. He is rescued by Craig, Lee, and Gaylor. He also finds himself attracted to Gaylor when she lets her hair down. Things are resolved with each of the brothers gain¬ ing a bride. X-Ray: Africa serves as an effective back¬ drop for this yarn that contains a mixture of action, adventure, romance, and some excit¬ ing animal sequences. Interest is well-enough maintained, and the cast, direction, and pro¬ duction are quite satisfactory. The use of color provides an assist, and the entry can serve well as part of the program. The screenplay is by Guy Elmes, based on the novel by Joy Packer. Ad Lines: “Savage Africa Keeps Its Se¬ crets”; “Thrilling Adventure Off The Beaten Track.” The Girls Are Willing C»MEDY d“mma Vinod International (Danish-made) (English titles and dialogue) (Eastman Color) Estimate: Cute import. Cast: Axel Bang, Henry Lindorff, Verner Tholsgaard, O'le Larsen, Elsie Marie, Mogens Viggo Petersen, Valso Holm, Karl Stegger, Jorn Jeppesen. Produced by Erik Balling; directed by Gabriel Axel. Story: Three young men on a small Danish isle want to marry the three daughters of a mayor of a neighboring small island, but there are cold relations between the mayors and inhabitants of the two islands. The school teacher on Mayor Axel Bang’s island believes i he has discovered oil, and it is not long be¬ fore an American oil company has a crew and equipment on the island to test drill a well under the leadership of a Danish-American, Jorn Jeppesen. Life on the island be¬ comes Americanized with a resulting boost in economy, improvement in roads, etc. Op¬ posing Mayor Karl Stegger becomes pale with envy and is more inclined to listen to mar1 riage proposals regarding his daughters. The | three young men decide to take things into their, own hands and go to see Stegger and the girls. The wedding is about to be okayed when news comes that there is no oil. Every¬ thing is cancelled until Jeppesen and the Americans decide to take a hand in the in¬ terests of romance, and the young people are wed while the two mayors are reconciled. X-Ray: A cute comedy, this import has a bit of a different yarn and background. It’s interest-holding for the most part, and the cast, direction and production are okay. It •( should please those patrons of the art and specialty spots who are looking for some¬ thing lightweight and amusing. The screen¬ play is by Johannes Allen. Ad Lines: “A Comedy Treat From Den¬ mark”; “When Boys And Girls Are Willing ... Look Out.” Great Is My Country documentary Sovexportfilm (Kinopanorama) (Stereophonic Sound) (Sovcolor) (U.S.S.R. Made) Estimate: Interesting Soviet novelty. Credits: Produced and directed by R. Karmen; co-directed by Z. Feldman; photog¬ raphy by S. Medynsky, V. Ryklin, and G. Khilnyi; sound by K. Bek-Nazarov; cutting by M. Minaeva; narrated by C. Henkins and J. Adamov. Content: The cameras tour parts of Mos¬ cow, and seen are buildings, people, streets etc. They take in forests, fields, rivers, a visit by a jet plane to the Ukraine, an oil town on the Caspian Sea, the Volga, farming in Siberia, an agricultural exhibition, the Car¬ pathian Mountains, a ride down a river on a raft, a tour of air by the Caucasus, a car trip, a festival, and a costume ball. X-Ray: This film, similar to America’s Cin¬ erama, was presented by the Ministry of Culture of the USSR in conjunction with the Soviet Exhibition of Science, Technology and Culture at the Mayfair Theatre in New York, where it was shown via three Amer¬ ican projectors locked together for simultane¬ ous presentation on a large curved screen presumably embracing a visual angle of 150 degrees. A fact sheet reported that a ninetrack stereophonic sound system was utilized and audiences listened to people talking to each other across the theatre as well as other sounds. The picture was divided by dark lines showing the borders of each projector’s image, and a 15 minute intermission was necessary to permit reloading the projectors with the second half of the presentation. From an entertainment viewpoint, Cinerama had presented its version some time ago, and the only thing that was new was the subject matter devoted to the country, its places of interest, and its peoples, which have not been seen here to any greet extent. Soviet camera¬ work is expert enough, and the color is good for the most part. There are some bits of propaganda to be found in both the com¬ mentary and in scenes shown. Ad Lines: “Soviet Russia To-day”; “See Behind The Iron Curtain.” The Shorts Parade FOUR REEL COLOR TOPICAL ANTARCTIC CROSSING. Schoenfeld. Color 45 m. The color cameras follow Sir Vivien Fuchs in the preparations and actual crossing of the Antarctic Continent, which got under way in January, 1956, after years of planning. An advance party of eight set up a base and were joined by Fuchs a year later. Mean¬ while, Sir Edmund Hillary and a party es¬ tablished Scott Base on the Ross Sea Coast with the object to establish food and fuel depots from the Base to the South Pole for some 700 miles to be used by the main cross¬ ing party setting out from the other side. The two forces met at the South Pole. The results are interesting, informative, and un¬ usual, filled with drama and adventure. EXCELLENT. TWO REEL SPORTS FLOYD PATTERSON-INGEMAR JOHANS¬ SON FIGHT. United Artists. 17m. These of¬ ficial films of the heavyweight champion¬ ship fight in New York City are an excellently photographed record of the bout which proves thrilling due to the seven knockdowns in the third round and the up¬ set T.K.O. by the Swedish challenger. The slow motion shots are better than a ring¬ side seat. EXCELLENT. ONE REEL COLOR CARTOONS CAT’S PAW. Warners Merrie MelodiesLooney Tunes. 6m. Sylvester and his small son are out west trying to catch butterflies. Sylvester mistakes a baby eagle for a butter¬ fly, and what happens to him makes his son think his pop is not so hot. FAIR (6713). MAGOO’S LODGE BROTHER. Columbia Magoo Cartoons. 6m. Near-sighted Magoo is on his way to a convention and latches onto a robber, whom he thinks is his room-mate. He winds up in the den of the thief thinking it is his convention hotel room. Magoo pro¬ ceeds to toss around in fun dynamite, gre¬ nades, bombs, etc., until the crook is knocked out and captured. Magoo becomes a hero, unknowingly. GOOD. (3757). MEXICALI SHMOES. Warners Merrie Melodies-Looney Tunes. 7m. A couple of envious Latin beatnicks go after Speedy Gonzales and try to eliminate the rapid fellow; but Speedy outwits them at every turn, even when they set up a mine field for him. FAIR. (6711). THE NOVELTY SHOP. Columbia Color Favorite Cartoon Reissue. 7m. This is re¬ printed for the record since it was first re¬ viewed in MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR in September, 1936, prior to beginning of the present volumes of REVIEWS. At that time it was said: “Not an original story, but color and humor are pleasant. The old novelty maker leaves his shop, and the toys come to life, have a parade, then go back to their in¬ animate lives when he returns. GOOD.” (3613). TWEET AND LOVELY. Warners Merrie Melodies-Looney Tunes. 7 m. In order to get to Tweety, Sylvester uses bombs, chemical for¬ mulas, and vanishing cream on Spike, the big bulldog. They all backfire, however, and the “putty tat” is finally blown up by one of his own bombs. GOOD. (6712). WILD AND WOOLY HARE. Warners Bugs Bunny Specials. 7m. This burlesque on west¬ erns has Yosimite Sam coming into a ghost town and engaging in a gunfight with Bugs. Neither gets hurt, but when Sam heads off to rob a train, it is Bugs who saves the day. GOOD. (6726). COLOR NOVELTY DIAVOLEZZA. Lester A. Schoenfeld. 12m. Color. A retired Swiss mountain climber guide is forced to seek another job and takes to being a conductor on a cable car, where he can still show off the beauties of his favorite mountains to visitors. FAIR. For TheatreTested and Approved THEATRE FORMS AND SYSTEMS write to EXHIBITOR BOOK SHOP! Actual sample sheets of all "Plus Services" will be sent on written request.