Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

18 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, October 22, 1949 Hollywood Ifewsreel West Coast Offices— B777 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 28. Calif.— Ann Lewis, Manager PRODUCTION PARADE By Ann Lewis iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii^ Star John Carroll has launched a new independent company to be known as Southdown Productions, Inc. Six stories have already been registered for filming, among them "Oran" purchased from Memphis Police Chief John Dwyer. This is the first on Carroll's slate and is based on Dwyer's actual exploits during the war. Other officers in the company are Al Blum and Vic Orsatti. * * ;K , Celeste Holm, who just completed the starring role opposite Ronald Colman in Cardinal Productions' United Artists release "Champagne for Caesar," has been signed for another film by Producer Harry Popkin. No mention is made of what the assignment is to be. =|! * >|! ' , "Roman Holiday," an original screenplay by Ian Hunter, has been purchased by Paramount as Frank Capra's second production for the studio. The producer-director's first on his contract was "Riding High" .with Bing Crosby, Coleen Gray and Charles Bickford. ^ * Howard Hughes signed Cornel Wilde to star in RKO's "The Sons of the Musketeers," and simultaneously closed a contract with Jerrold T. Brandt to produce the picture. Scheduled as a studio top-budgeter to be filmed in Technicolor, it is due to start the first week in December. Allied Artists bought "Dusty Waters," an original by Robert Rafter, as a future starring vehicle for Rod Cameron. Scott R. Dunlap, who is preparing "The Longhorn" for the star, will also handle the production reins on the new property. ^ ^ ^ James Wong Howe, top cinematogfapher, has been signed by Producer Carl K. Hittleman to lens Lippert Productions' "Baron of Arizona" which goes before the cameras Nov. 1. Samuel Fuller will direct from his own screenplay with Vincent Price starring and Beulah Bondi, Vladi mir Sokolofi: and Reed Hadley in featured roles. Alexis Smith has been borrowed from Warners to co-star with Scott Brady and Mona Freedman in Universal-International's "Shoplifter." She will play a "sophisticated" heavy. Picture rolls the latter part of this month with Leonard Goldstein producing and Charles Lament directing. * * * Stanley Kramer has hand-picked Everett Sloane, Richard Erdman and Jack Webb for three important supporting roles in "The Men," which will star Marlon Brando and Teresa Wright, under the direction of Fred Zinnemann. All three have just recently completed top assignments in other notable productions. ^ ^ ^ Producer Alex Gottlieb is launching a search for four talented girls, with no previous screen experience, for the top feminine leads in his forthcoming musical for RRO, "Two Tickets to Broadway." They must possess singing or dancing, as well as acting ability . . . and naturally, beauty. H! * * LIniversal-International will star Shelley Winters in a Technicolor western, "Frenchie," to be produced by Michel Kraike, with Oscar Brodney during the screenplay. Production will start as soon as Miss Shelley finishes her current loanout stint at Paramount. "Madam Sherifi^." an original story about a woman peace officer, has been acquired by Lippert Productions and scheduled for filming after the first of the year. Picture is slated for top budget treatment. Samuel Goldwyn has started preparations for the last of his four pictures for this year, "The Edge of Doom." To be piloted by Mark Robson, it will star Dana Andrews, Farley Granger and Joan Evans. Paramount Sets 12 Films for Early 7950 Twelve top-budget pictures will go into production at Paramount during the first five months of 1950, it was announced last week by Henry Ginsberg, studio head. Three of the films have definite January starting dates, with the remainder being scheduled over the following four months. The January starters are William Wyler's "Carrie Ames," "Eagles of the Navy," to be produced by Robert Fellows, and Hal Wallis' "My Friend Irma Goes West." The other nine pictures which will go into production in February, March, April and May are "Dear Mom," with Joseph Sistrom producing; "It Won't Last Long," Charles Brackett production; "Jack of Diamonds," with Sistrom producing; "Big Guy," Robert Welch producing ; "The Mabel Normand Story" ; Leo McCarey's "Born in a Trunk" ; "Mr. and Miss Anonymous," produced and directed by George Stevens ; "Roman Holiday," produced and directed by Frank Capra, and "Union Station," which Jules Schermer will produce. Dem psey-Popkin-Stieiel Plan One Film a Year A life of Jack Dempsey will be the rlext film of the Dempsey-Harry Popkin-Sam Stiefel producing team, if present plans work out, and the partners will continue to aim at one picture a year for LInited Artists release, they announced af a luncheon for the trade press in New York this week. "The Big Wheel," their first production, is tentatively set to premiere Nov. 10 at Indianapolis. Made for around $900,000, it stars. Mickey Rooney and Thomas Mitchell in a story of auto racing that reaches its climax on the 'famous Indianapolis Speedway. While the producers like sports yarns, they may also consider the juvenile delinquency theme. Warn Named Westrex Coast Engineer Chief R. E. Warn, who has been chief of engineering of Westrex Corporation since 1948, has been appointed manager of the firm's Hollywood Division which recently took over the motion picture activities of the ERP Division of Western Electric. Warn has been associated with the motion picture industry since 1928, when he joined ERPL -\lso transferred to Hollywood from the Westrex New York engineering group was Perry Shean. Opportunities for Young Directors at MGM With the assignment of Gerald Mayer to direct "Standoff," to be produced by Richard Goldstone, MiGM will shortly launch a program to give opportunities to new, young directors, according to Dore Schary, vice-president in charge of production. Mayer's direction of production tests and short subjects during the past two years, which were important stepping-stones for young directors in the past, led to his elevation to the new post, Schary said. Scully Urges More Action, Less Dialog Peter Scully, one of Hollywood's youngest producers, thinks it's about time the industry began making movies with more motion and less talking. . . , "In its infancy," the 29-year-old producer said, "the motion picture s overwhelming attraction as an amusement medium was based on action. When the industry, as a whole, returns to that formula, then box-office receipts are bound to show a marked increase." Scully, President of Mayfair Pictures, Inc., producers of the "Henry" series for Monogram, has two of these comedies now in release, "Henry, the Rainmaker" and "Leave It to Henry." The next in the series, "Henry Does It Again," is scheduled to go before the cameras in November with Raymond Walburn again in the title role. According to Scully, even in these family comedies he proves his point by stressing fast-paced situation sequences rather than dialog. "In our pictures," said the son of John J. Scully, eastern sales manager for Universal-International, "we depend,on action. We don't want to hit audiences over the head with too much dialog, music, or special effects. It is our contention that the greater segment of motion picture audiences want action in their entertainment, and we shall continue to try to give them what they want to see." The young producer, who with Bill Castle, just recently formed an independent company called Motion Pictures, Inc., has scheduled as his first production for the new company, "It's a Small World." "In this picture," he says, "we plan so much action that I am sure that the cameras will work even harder than the actors." Peter Scully