Variety (April 1953)

22 nCTUEES Wednesday, April S* 1953 f M f ♦ H ♦ M + + H++ 1 M4 ♦♦♦»»»! ♦ » dips From Film Row $> 44444+4 MM ♦ M M ) tl f ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ »f ♦ M H »4 -f» Mrw vnwif ing in the St. touts area; two com- VY 1 panics which stipply the equipment Stuart Dunlap, manager of com- expect the orders to new peak in pany’s office in Argentina, in N. Y. the next fortnight, for confabs at Loew’s International Members of the MPTOA of homepffice. eastern Missouri and southern Illi- WB and Camera Craft photo nois presented a $1,000 savings shops sponsoring joint contest in bond to Herb Bennis, Metro ex* connection with WB’s 3-D film, change manager here, as a fare- "Hou$e of Wax.” well gift; he was transferred to Ab Wcisbord’s “Julius Caesar” Washington, D.C, layout for Metro among exhibits at the Art Directors Club of N. Y. annual layout show. Judson Moses, Metro rep in At Lloyd Spurgeon purchased a 540-car ozoner near Centralia, 111., from Elbert W. Butler and Homer Butler. 4 .vauocd, menu icH n* -n-i r . % T j lanta for a year, upped to division The Lync, Newburg, Mo., and press rep, succeeding Emery Aus- akI? tin, who was recently named ex- by Clifford H. Hough to W. T. Ash. ploitation aide to homeoffice pub- Kansas City interests are con- licity manager Dan Terrell. Other structing a 400-car ozoner near Metro changes include A1 Golin, Columbia, Mo., which will furnish who has been covering Des Moines, opposition to one operated by the moved to Pittsburgh, with Art Commonwealth Amus. Co., which Katzin succeeding Golin in Des was lighted in 1950. assistant manager of Broadway, •South Boston, replaces him at Strand. Tom Duape, UA sales manager for the past year, resigned to join* Lockwood & Gordon Enterprises in executive capacity. Joe Longo, for eight years on the Coast, returned here to take *over as tubthumper at RKO ex- change; replaces A1 Margolian, transferred to company’s Buffalo office. , Capitol in Quincy sold B & Q Circuit to department store chaim for conversion into retail •&tOT6< Following destruction of neigh- boring church, by fire last week, Poland Moon, manager of the Quintree Drive-In placed the ozoner at disposal of worshippers for their Easter services. Lay Off 'Continued from pace 3 Film Reviews Continued' from pare £gypt by Three Constantine sees it as an easy way to make an almost honest buck, while. Mendick plans to use the bread to ship out some stolen dia- monds. The good deeds the pair must perform to properly fool the priests eventually fool the confi- dence men and foil the diamond scheme. The performances are acceptable, more because they are done by new faces than from the quality of the histronics. Brog , Miirdcfr Will Out (BRITISH) Moines; Keven Genther joins southwestern staff. $ Some 400 industry!tes and mem- bers of Cinema Lodge, B’nai Bh'ith, are slated to attend the Lodge’s first President’s Luncheon at the Hotel Astor today (Wed.). They will pay tribute to retiring prez Central Illinois Theatres, Inc., building 500-car drive-in near Mattoon, 111. PITTSBURGH win puy -ti iuucc «, 1 C unn B ^ 'Martin Levine and help install bis Fult°n, back on the 3 ob again after successor. Burton E Robbing. George Birkner, manager of ’ Stanley Warner’s Oritani Theatre Walshsre^acement during his iH- in Hackensack, N.J„. for the past 10 years, transferred to the Fabian* reassigned Theatre, Paterson. left puh-ad chief’s post at WB last month to CT I OI IIQ join Dubin-Feldman ad agency, LfUIO back in show biz again. The D-F High winds damaged ozoners in outfit hired to handle special ex- St. Louis area during last few ploitation on opening of “Moulin weeks. Damage was reported to Rouge” (UA) at Penn Saturday drive-ins near Flora, Mattoon, and (id w ith Kahn handling it. * Charleston, HI. Most ozoners in St. Deal rerported on the fire for Louis trade area teed off Easter Ciqerama to go into downtown Sunday J^t. . _ Warner Theatre; but no contracts The Fnsina Amus, Co., con- signed so far. structed modern front on its Ef- * fingham, in Effingham, 111. St. Louis Variety Club, Tent No. 4, advanced $40,000 to defray cost of constructing a day nursery in South St. Louis. Orders for 3-D equipment grow- ir*Mini cm Mine mi— RockcfdUf Center BORIS BAY • 60RB0N MaaRAX “BY THE LIGHT OF THE SILVERY MOON** cotorbyTECMHBOIM'A Wtamtr Brat. Picture plus TK MBS MU’S NUT UtiafTIKMI STARTS FRI. M NATUMtUttM Sdiminmon WfMMRfBOIRC 1 W([|[ PIKE mu ItlEIIT- wmis HU Z,4f?4MOC/^r DETROIT The Michigan, United Detroit Theatre’s flagship and second larg- est house in Detroit with 4,000- seats, being made ready for tne Detroit preem of “House of Wax,” WB*s 3-D film April'30. "BvWana- Devil” UA*s 3-D release which enjoyed a long run down- town at the Madison, opens April 8 in four nabe UDT houses, the Fisher, Woods, Norwest, Mel. ** * • BOSTON Ernest Warren took over lease of the Strand, Canton, planning an Easter opening/ Florio Siml appointed a booker at RKO exchange,' replacing. Stan Davis, who was-Upped to salesman. Phil Bloomberg; vet exhib, has shuttered his plaza In. Salem and Orpheum, Danvers. Current com- petitive bidding situation plus 20% government tax forced'move, according to Bloomberg. - James Cronin, manager or the Strand, South Boston, for last 20 years, upped to manager of Up- town, Boston. George Sweeney, prionevision have brought new ex- citement and hope to a.mercurial and unpredictable industry,” states MLPF&B in its study. “Specu- ative interest reached a high pitch recently despite the fact that only few months ago film securities experienced a pronounced setback when several" leading companies were forced to drastically cut their dividends. ’ “Film companies have made a ot of money at times—but they have lost heavily toq.^ The old" RKO, an outstanding example, made $18,000,000 between 1943 and 1946, then lost $15,000,000 from 1947 to 1950..” As for the* new 'lensing and pro- jection methods, the investment company believes it will be a mat- ter of many months before it’s determined whether 3-D, etc., can raise the industry’s basic earning power. MLPF&B takes the position that the producing companies are less risky that exhibition outfits be- cause the filmmakers, if they’re unable to hold their own in com- petition with TV, may be able to go into production for TV. Also, there’s the possibility of unloading pic libraries to TV. On the other hand, it’s noted, theatre circuits must depend upon the producers for their product supply and entertainment sufficient to compete with TV. There are no alternatives. ' GREAT MOTION PICTURES A&E PROCESSED BY 0%U&e Kramer-Hyaras Films release of Tam- pean Film-Eros Films (Robert S. Baker- Monty Berman)- production. Stars Valerie Hobson, Edward Underdown, James Rob- ertson Justice; features Henry Kendall, Garry Marsh, Daniel Wherry, Sam Kydd. Screenplay, John Gilllng; camera, Ber- man; music, Frank Cordell. At Normandie, N.Y., AprU 4, '53. Running time, S3 MINS. Alyclft Valerie Hobson Hugh Edward Underdown Jonathan James Robertson Justly. Parker Henry Kendall Inspector Thornton ...» Garry Marsh Pierce Daniel Wherry Sergeant Baker • • Sam Kydd Dr. Forrest Ian Fleming Miss Quinn Daphne Newton Night Porter M Johnnie Schofield Par Widescreen Continued from page 3 ERROL FLYNN, Independent Producer, saysit using the great new JPuthecolor film ... I am now shooting my first Pathe color film in Rome, and I chose Path^color because it gives me Lifelike Color in every situation and on every set.. .and Pathe gives me 'daily overnight processing.” You owe it to your next picture to sec the Pathe color demonstration reel to- djiy. Phone for a date; In New York it’s TRafalgar 6-1120 and in Hollywood it’s Hollywood 9-3961. Both New York and Hollywood Have Cm.-phte /Laboratory Facilities: J 5, M M • I 6 M M • CO I. OR • BLACK AND WHITE £%<Sl«Xaboratorie9j Inc. is a subsidiary of Chesapeake Industries, Inc. and Van Heflin in the leads, is one of the most 'expensive on the* Par sked, with a reported negative cost of about $3,500,000. If it’s toTecoup, ifs clear that Par Las a top-scale selling jol? ahead, and the wide- screen approach is figured as the hypo which could bring the -com- pany out on top economically. First test of “Shane” on an un- usually* large screen will be at the Radio City Music Hall, N.Y., fol- lowing its current “By . the Light of the Silvery Moon.” Hall * will show the pic in Par’s so-called 1.66 aspect ratio, as against the conven-, tlonal 1.33. Hall’s regular screen, which is the biggest in the world, will be in full view* for the first time with the showing, part of the screen having been masked off heretofore. Screen will measure 50 feet in width and 30 feet in height. It’s normally about 34x25.. - ’ Mildly suspenseful melodrama with b.o. potential for arty bookings. aid Buka, a young taki driver in Vienna, who is minus papers of identification and therefore is con- stantly afraid of deportation. When an American businessman- passenger is shot and killed by Francis Lederer while waiting i n the cab, Buka decides'to dispose o£ the man> then impersonate jdm 1 and go to America. He soon.'becomes entangled with Join Camden, how- ever, who called her American friend to come do Vienna and help her escape from her marriage to Lederer. When she realizes Buka was not the killer, she joins .him, and together they make plans to use the plane tickets to tlie U. s. the American had purchased. Led- erer is on their heels but Buka subsequently calls his bluff when he realizes his love for the girl, Lederer is captured and Buka be- gins" a short jail sentence, knowing his amour will be waiting.' Buka is exceptionally good in his role, sparking the footage with a neat characterization. Lederer, too, is fine, but Miss Camden only ade- quate as. the girl, Among the sup- porters, Inge Konrads fares best. Turhan Bey’s production, slanted for American appeal, is okay, while direction by Gunther Fritsch wisely accents the action and sus- pense. Technical credits are par. Neal. Very little happens and a great deal of time is consumed in lengthy exchanges, of dialog in this placid, 1 somewhat involved British thriller about murder, intrigue* revenge and justice poetically wrought. “Murder Will Out” is one of those run-of-the-mill Imports which will find its art theatre audience because it is British, and because it has to its credit two fine per- formances by Valerie Hobson and James Robertson Justice. John Gilllng here has contrived fo complicate a very simple plot to the point where, at the end, he has more than his share of trou- ble untangling his web of crime and straightening out his charact- ers. All this is a heavy drag on the proceedings, which. rarjely leave the audience in anything more than the role of amused by- stander. Miss Hobson is beautiful but not very convincing as the unhappy wife Qf. James Robertson Justice, a literary celebrity of doubtful manners and a decidedly acid per- sonality. She falls in love with Edward Underdown, an unsuccess- ful writer of mystery stories, and, except for various complications, invented by Gilllng to keep things going, fate takes its inevitable course. ■ Within the framework of this minor British effort, Justice’s work is admirably smooth' and gives the film much of its body. He is the husband spurned, seeking a civil- ized revenge, who finally drives his wife to the point where she is wil- ing to commit murder. By con- trast, Underdown is wooden and stiff as Miss Hobson’s lover. Garry Marsh plays the inspector without much, conviction. Monty Berman’s photography is a notch above ttic- average. Ifift. Stolen identity Metro Mum Continued Prom page the company is shelving the 3-D treatment for the property. Studio activity, meanwhile, is tapering off, with a complete lull expected shortly unless the com- pany suddenly shifts into 3-D or widescreen. Three flat pix are in the process of being completed— "The Great Diamond Robbery,” "The Big Leaguer” and "Easy to Love.”' Company recently com- pleted “Saadia” abroad. Origin- ally slated. to roll at the- studio later this month is the film version of the Broadway musical, “Kiss Me, Kate,” but there’s been no in- dication as to the filming process planned for the film. "Knights of the Round Table” is slated to roll in England late this month also. Robert Taylor, set forja lead, leaves for Britain on April 21. Also sched- uled for shooting in England is "Crest of the Wave,” starring Gene Kelly, but in this case, too, com- pany hasn’t tipped the method to be used. Okay. whodunit filmed in Vienna. supporter Hollywood. April 2. Helen Ainsworth Corp. release of Tur han Bey production. Stars Donald Buka,. Frande Lederer, Joan Camden; features Ardienne Gessner. Ing# Konrads, Glsele Wilke. Directed, by Gunther Fritsch. Screenplay, Robert Hill, from novel by Alexander Lernet-Holonia; camera, Hel- mut Ashley; music. Rlchbrd Hageman. Previewed March 31, '53. Running time • Qaude Manelll Francis Lederer Toni Sponer , Donald Buka Karen Manelll Joan Camden Mrs. Fraser Adrienne Gessner Marie Inge Konrads Old Doll Glsele Wilke Inspector Herman Efhard Kruger Egon Von Jordan Hemth * Manfred Inger ‘Picnic’ Figures Continued from page 1 musicals, “Can-Can,” by Cole Porter and Abe Burrows, and v Me and Juliet,” by Richard .Rodgers and Oscar Hammersteln 2d, will open too late for consideration for either the Pulitzer or Critics awards for this season. Critics Circle makes its selec- tions at a meeting Tuesday after- noon at the Algonquin Hotel, N. Y. Pulitzer committee selections have presumably been decided already, but will be announced May 4 as part of the other annual awards in journalism and the arts. Anthony Quinn signed to co-star with Kirk Douglas and Sllvana Mangano in "Odyssey,” to be pro- duced by Lux Films in Italy. STARS’ CARS X ".COUNTRY I Going from B’way to Hollywood, or vice versa? '"The Best Way" is I to ship' your car. not to drive It, . . advises Judson Freight Forward- 1 ing Division of National Carload- . ingJTorpoeatlon, now celebrating 1 its 75th anniversary. Judson has i shipped thousand* of cars and ■ trunks for stage, screen, radio and . TV celebs. -♦ I I I I » I I You save wear and tear on you » and car, actual driving costs, . storage enreute, and expenses in- « volved in the long trip. Beside®, , •you have much better chance of 1 arriving in one piece yourself if ■ you take rail or air and let Jud- son ship your car and belongihgs. j If your trial' engagement on | either coast extends into, a solid spot, just call Judsen and have | your car shipped to you. See your telephone directory for . nearest National Carloading Of- 1 fice or write to: Judson Forward- , ing, National Carloading Cor- ■ oration, 19 Rector Street, New ■ ork f. Nt Y. i 5! “Stolen Identity,” produced in Vienna by Turhan Bey tfnd being distributed in the U. S. by Helen Ainsworth Corp., is okay support- ing fare for the duals. Footage is a bit overlong at 88 minutes, espe- cially in view of the market film will hit, but. nevertheless it in- cludes enough suspense to keep in- terest from lagging. Film’s tag pinpoints the theme of the Robert Hill screenplay, based on a novel by Alexander Lferne’t- Holenia. Central character is Don- BROADWAY ANGELS, INC. 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