Variety (December 1954)

Wednesday, Deeember 8, 1954 PICTURES Hollywood Production Pulse COLUMBIA Starts, This Year 30 This Date, Last Year... 35 "MY SISTER EILEEN" I'rod.—Fred Kohlmar Dir —Richard Quine Janet Leigh. Betty Garrett. Jack Lemon. Kurt Kazsnar (Started Sept. 10) "FIVE AGAINST THE HOUSE" prod.—Sterling Silliphant. John Barn- well Dir.—Phil Karlaon Guy Madison. Kim Novak. Brian Keith. Kerwin Mathews. Alvy Moore. Kath- ryn Grant. Adel Auhust. Jana Mason. Tom Greenway (Started Nov. 4) "DEADLOCK" Ex Prod.—Mike Frankovich Prod.—Maxwell Seton Dir.—Arthur Lubin Stewart Granger. Jean Simmons. Finlay Currie. William Hartnell (Started Nov. 16) METRO Starts, This Year 77 This Date, Last Year... 24 "INTERRUPTED MELODY" Prod.—Jack Cummings Dir.—Curtis Bernhardt Glenn Ford, Eleanor Parker. Roger Moore, Cecil Kellaway. Ann Codee (Started Sept. 16) 'KT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER" Prod.—Arthur Freed Dir.—Gene Kelly. Stanley Donen Gene Kelly. Cyd Charisse, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd. Dolores Gray (Started Oct. 13) "SCARLET COAT" Prod.—Nicholas Nayfack Dir.—John Sturges Cornel Wilde. Michael Wilding. Anne Francis. Bobby Driscoll, Robert Doug- las. John McIntyre, Robert Dix (Started Oct. 25) "BLACKBOARD JUNGLE" Prod.—Pandro Berman Dir.—Richard Brooks Glenn Ford. Anne Francis. Louis Cal- hern. Margaret Hayes (Started Nov. 15) PARAMOUNT Starts, This Year 17 This Date, Last Year... 75 "THE TEN COMMANDMENTS" Prod.-Dir.—Cecil B. DeMille Asst.—Henry Wilcoxon Charlton Heston. Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, Yvonne De Carlo. Debra Paget. Nina Foch. Edward G. Robin- son, Cedric Hardwicke. Vincent Price, John Carradine, John Derek, Olive Deering "YOU'RE NEVER TOO YOUNG" Prod.—Paul Jones Dir.—Norman Taurog Dean Martin. Jerry Lewis. Diana Lynn. Raymond Burr, Nina Foch. Mitzi Mc- Call. Veda Ann Borg, Hans Conried. Romo Vincent, Donna Percy. Whitey Haupt (Started Oct. 18) "THE GIRL RUSH" Prod.—Frederick Brisson Dir.—Robert Pirosh Rosalind Russell, Fernando Lamas. Ed- die Albert, Gloria De Haven. Jiminy Gleason. Marion Lome, Robert Fortier (Started Dec. 6) "THE DESPERATE HOURS" Prod.-Dir.—William Wyler Humphrey Bogart. Fredric March, Martha Scott. Arthur Kennedy. Dewey Martin. Gig Young. Mary Murnhy, Robert Middleton, Richard Eyer. Whit Bissell, Beverly Garland. Walter Baldwin. Bert Freed (Started Oct. 19) •the ROSE TATTOO" Prod —Hal Wallis Dir.—Daniel Mann ) Burt Lancaster. Anna Magnani, Marisa Pavan, Virginia Grey. Ben Cooper. Jo Van Fleet. Florence Sundstrom. Dor- rit Kelton, Rosa Rey, Georgia Sim- mons. George Humbert. Mimi Aguglia, Sandro Giglio, Natalia Murray _ (Started Nov. 3) •THE COURT JESTER" Prod-Dir.—Norman Panama, Melvin Frank Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns. Angela Lans- bur.v, Basil Rathbone. Cecil Parker. Mildred Natwick. Edward Ashley. Mi- chael Pate. Allan Napier, Patrick Aherne. Lewis Martin, Noel Drayton (Started Nov. 22) REPUBLIC Starts, This Year 8 This Date, Last Year.... 17 "MAGIC FIRE" Prod-Dir —William Dieterle Yvonne De Carlo, Carlos Thompson, i, , , Gam * Valentina Cortesa, Alan Badel (Started Oct. 2) Clark Gable. Susan Hayward. Michael Rennie. Alex D’Arcy. Gene Barry, Jack Kruschen, Frank Tang (Started Nov. 22) METRO’S SHOWMANSHIP DRIVE ACCENTS THEATRE’S PLACE IN THE COMMUNITY’ UNIVERSAL Starts, This Year 30 This Date, Last Year 26 20th CENTURY-FOX Starts, This Year 72 This Date, Last Year.... 17 A MAN CALLED PETER" I rod.—Samuel G. Engel Dir—Henry Koster Richard Todd, Jean Peters. Marjorie Hambeau, Jill Esmond, Les Tremayne, Robert Burton, Gladys Hurlbut, Rich- ard Garrick. Gloria Gordon. Billy ( hapin. Mimi Hutson. Boltaire Per- kins. Sally Corner (Started Sept. 24) DADDY LONG LEGS" Prod.—Sam D. Engel ior —Jean Negulesco * , m < 1 Astaire > Leslie Caron. Terry Moore, Thelma Ritter. Fred Clark. ( hariotte Austin. Ray Anthony & Or- Brown*’ Kalt, erine Givney. Kelly "e«! a IIi d Nov - 13) SOLDIER OF FORTUNE" (Shooting in Hong Kong) n° d V?“ddy Adler Dir.—Edward Dmytryk "THIRD GIRL FROM THE RIGHT" Prod.—Sam Marx Dir.—Eddie Buzzell Rory Calhoun. Piper Laurie. Jack Car- son. Mamie Van Doren. Reginald Gar- diner, Barbara Britton. Dani Crayne, Harris Brown (Started Oct. 28) "KISS OF FIRE" Prod.—Sam Marx Dir.—Joe Newman Jack Palance, Barbara Rush, Rex Rea- son. Martha Hyer, Alan Reed. Leslie Bradley, Henry Rowland, Larry Dob- kin (Started Nov. 8) , "TACEY" Prod.—Ross Hunter Dir.—Jerry Hopper Anne Baxter, Rock Hudson. Julie Ad- ams. Natalie Wood. William Hopper, Barry Curtis, Betty Garde, Fay Morley (Started Nov. 19) WARNER BROS. Starts, This Year 16 This Date, Last Year 20 'STRANGE LADY IN TOWN" Prod.-Dir.—Mervyn Le Roy Greer Garson. Dana Andrews. Cameron Mitchell, Lois Smith. Walter Hamp- den, Pedro Gonzales-Gonzales, Jose Torvay, Russell Johnson (Starts Aug. 16) 'THE SEA CHASE" Dir.—John Farrow John Wayne. Lana Turner. Tab Hunter, Lyle Bettger. Richard Davalos, James Arness, Alan Hale, Jr. (Started Aug. 16) Youngstein and Robert Q. Aid Asthmatic Moppets Max E. Youn&stetin, United Art- ists v.p., has been named enter- tainment committee chairman for the National Home for Asthmatic Children, in Denver. . He and Robert Q. Lewis, honor- ary chairman of the Home’s regional board of directors, are now to set the stage for a "Parade of Stars" show at N. Y.’s Town Hall Jan. 8 as a benefit for the institution. INDEPENDENT "MOBY DICK" (Moulin Productions) (Shooting Overseas) Prod.-Dir.—John Huston Gregory Peck. Leo Genn, Richard Base- hart. (Started July 15) "GENTLEMEN MARRY BRUNETTES" (Russ-Field-Voyager Prods.) (Shooting in Paris) Exec. Prod.—Robert Bassler Co-Prod.—Richard Sale, Robert Water Reid Dir.—Richard Sale Jane Russell. Jeanne Crain. Scott Brady, Alan Young. Rudy Vallee. (Started Sept. 13) "NOT AS A STRANGER" (Stanley Kramer Production) (U. A. Release) Prod.-Dir.—Stanley Kramer Olivia de Havilland, Robert Mitchum. Frank Sinatra. Gloria Grahame. Brod- erick Crawford. Charles Bickford, My- ron McCormick, Lon Chaney. Jesse White. Lee Marvin. Whit Bissell, Har- ry Morgan. Jerry Paris. Virginia Chris- tine. Mae Clarke, John, Dierkes, Jack Rain. (Started Sept. 28) "MARTY" (Hecht-Lancaster Prods.) (Shooting at Goldwyn Studios) Prod.—Harold Hecht Dir.—Delbert Mann Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair (Started Nov. 1) "NO PLACE TO HIDE" (Josef Shaftel Productions) (Shooting in Manila) Prod.-Dir.—Josef Shaftel David Brian, Marsha Hunt. Hugh Corco- ran (Started Nov. 4) "ROBBERS ROOST" (Goldstein-Jacks Productions) (Shooting in Durango. Mexico) Prod.—Robert Goldstein Dir.—Sidney Salkow George Montgomery, Richard Boone, Sylvia Findley, Bruce Bennett, Peter Graves, Warren Stevens. Tony Ro- mano. William Hopper, Leo Gordon. Stanley Clements. Joe Bassett, Leon- ard Geer, A1 Wyatt, Boyd Morgan (Started Nov. 8) "MAGNIFICENT MATADOR" (National Pictures Corp.) (20th-Fox Release) (Shooting in Mexico City) Exec. Prod.—Edward L. Alperson Prod.—Carroll Case Dir.—Budd Boetticher Maureen O’Hara. Anthony Quinn. Rich- ard Denning, Lola Albright. Thomas Gomez. Manuel Rojas, Eduardo Norie- ga. William Ching (Started Nov. 8) MCA Agenting Whitney Hollywood. Dec. 7. Music Corp. of America has been commissioned to negotiate a dis- tribution deal for "The Searchers." first film to be made by the newly- formed C. V. Whitney Pictures. John Ford is to direct. Whitney stated here the tieup represents the first time an outside agency is repping a company in his control. Southern Exhibs Focus Meet on 5 Vital’ Problems By'MATTY BRESCIA Memphis, Dec. 7. The "Big Five" was given as the theme of the annual Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Ar- kansas, Mississippi and Tennessee convention which opened here yes- terday (Mon.) and runs through Wednesday at the Gayoso Hotel. The five vital subjects put before come 300 members include: (1) Open forum on film problems: (2) Print shortages; (3) Wide screens for Drive-In theatres; (4) Conces- sions and (5) Financing of inde- pendent production. Alton Sims, local branch man- ager for Arkansas theatres for the Rowley-United chain, is general manager of the MPTO for the tri- state area. Main address will be by national TOA prexy E. D. Mar- tin tomorrow (Wed). John H. Rowley, exec veep of Rowley- United theatres, will also speak on same program. Both Rowley and Martin will plane in together from earlier TOA session at Oklahoma City. Norrell J. Brickell, prexy of Brickell Institute of Leadership Training, associated witfiADale Carnegie course, will speak td the- atre conventioneers on (ij on "relations between distributor and exhibitor." Balance of program in- cludes Mayor Frank Tobey of Memphis, at luncheon in Variety Club today (Tues.) which also will be sparked with a fashion show for women MPTO members. M. A. Lightman, Sr., is skedded for a talk on the Variety Club Tent No. 20 project Home for convalescent children which was dedicated here several weeks ago. Film Transit will loss a chuck wagon supper for MPTO members tonight (Tues.) at Claridge Hotel with Pres. M. H. Brandon, picking up the tab. Mike Simons, from Metro In New’ York, and George Gaughan, national TOA field rep of New York, are botty expected to ad- dress the grOupduring the three day session. Following banquet at Gayoso on Wednesday night (8), members will move to Variety Club for dance and show which will wrap up the three-day conclave. Jim Carberrv, of Arkansas The- atre, Little Rock, is incumbent prexy of MPTO tri-state area. Perspecta Vs. Stereo War Marks European Rivalry, * . Three Against 20th-Fox A competitive battle between Perspecta optical directional sound and magnetic stereophonic sound is raging abroad. Basically, the camp is divided with Loew’s, War- ner Bros., and Paramount on the Perspecta side and 20th-Fox as the advocate of magnetic sound. Twentieth is running an aggres- sive campaign to convince exhib- itors and the public that only mag- netic sound can present Cinema- Scope at its best and is so stating in advertisements in various for- eign countries. This has aroused the reps of the Perspecta com- panies to such an extent that they’re appealing to their home- offices to devise a catchy slogan to sell the Perspecta-type audio. Perspecta sound, while barely catching on in the U. S., is making considerably headway abroad. This is largely due to the efforts of Arthur M. Loew, prexy of Loew’s International. The International topper is responsible for introduc- ing the medium to the company and played a leading role in get- ting Loew’s to acquire a half in- terest in the technique. There are presently about 1.200 Perspecta installations abroad as compared to 300 in the U. S. Since 20th had a head start in introducing the magnetic system in the U. S, it dominates the do- mestic market. Exhibitors em- ploying the magnetic method are reluctant to make additional in- vestments. However* in foreign countries, the market was still wide open and both systems are vying for recognition. Boxoffice Stars Continued from page 3 ♦ To maintain the momentum of the film biz’s recovery in 1954, Metro is launching a nationwide showmanship drive designed as a salute to exhibitors of the United States and Canada. The campaign’s aim was outlined yesterday (Tues.) by M-G sales chief Charles M. Reagan at a press luncheon at the Sheraton Astor Hotel, N. Y. This is the first press confab held by Reagan since he took over the gen- eral sales manager reins about two years ago. “Our plans focus on the local community and theatre, not on the glorification of Hollywood,” said Reagan. “We ht>pe to launch 1955 on an upsurge of showmanship.’* Tabbed as “Forwafd ill ’55” cam- paign and named “fr-G-M’s 1955 Motion Picture Theatre Celebra- tion," the salute will have as its slogan "There’s More Fun at the Movies.” The promotion by Metro is planned from Jan. 1, 1955 through April 30, but it is hoped that the momentum will be main- tained indefinitely, Reagan’s pitch stressed that the renewed interest in pictures can only be maintained by aggressive showmanship. "I believe there is every indication that 1955 will be a great movie year," he said, "and that the upswing started in '54 will continue and will be accelerated. We are convinced that this busi- ness is now’ firmly established on the road to recovery of much of the patronage that has been lacking in postwar years. We believe that the rate of recovery can be speeded by better product, and by better selling of this product to the public.” All Product Better On the subject of belter pictures, he declared most of the Hollywood product "is far ahead of the aver- age of the past few years. Thus, for every exhibitor there is ample reason to be optimistic on this ! point.” Turning to the selling of product, he declared that the “fires of enthusiasm must be rekindled periodically. Imagination is re- quired to give us a new slant, from . , . . , . . . time to time, on selling screen en- found his salair quoted at $100,000 tertainme nt. Our methods are per picture, plus script appioval, j rare ]y ncw 0 f themselves, but they Wise comments. Although Haw’- nius t regularly be given a new kins has relatively small boxofhee j coa tjng of tinsel to charm the peo- value in America, his European p | e t be j»i am0 r and romance following appeared sufficient to Q f t be mov ies which make them merit the terms." , buy tickets.” Director said he estimated that : Metro, Reagan said, will en- more than half of the planned pro- ! courage thcatremen to utilize the ductions in Europe never go before ‘‘Celebration" “to accent his thea- the cameras, mainly because of the j re ‘ s pi ace in the community.” He lack of stars. Stars in Europe, he j revealed that pub-ad chief Howard declared, appear to be the best Dj c tz and eastern publicity mana- collateral for financing haying g er j) an Terrell were currently on more value than story properties. | t be Coast conferring with produc- The European problem parallels that in the U. S. more every day. Wise pointed out. Few new stars are being developed for the screen. tion topper Dore Schary and studio publicity chief Howard Strickling on the production of a short “to publicize the celebration to the and contract players are almost public.” He also noted that ad- non-existent, due to fact that in vertising manager Si Seadler is Italy especially there are few' big j preparing a series of ads for the companies. Proven old-time fa- ! trade press, magazines, and news- vorites seem to get the nod when papers. Oscar Doob will coordi- it comes to a casting choice, as na te the Metro campaign, much to get financial backing as to Reagan declared that he ex- please the public. j pC cted 15,000 theatres to partici- Unknowns N. G. p a t e j n the drive. In a tribute to the European film-goers and exhibi- ration’s theatres, he said none of tors are creatures of habit, he said, the new era developments "could prefer to see pictures only with be employed to make better established stars. Unknowns, for movies if the motion picture thca- this reason, have even a more dif- ties were not equipped to bring ficult time of rising to the top than ... greater productions to their do those in Hollywood, where an audiences. In short, the theatre outstanding performance frequent- j s the place that makes great prod- ly leads to studio recognition. Because the majority of Euro- uct possible.’ Metro's aim. he said, was "to Feldkamp’s Indie Co. Fred Feldkamp formed FF Pro- ductions in N. Y. city, for the in- dependent production of feature pictures for theatrical release. Two original properties are currently scheduled for production in 1955. Fcldkgmp is producer of the re- cent United Artists’ release "Op- eration Manhunt,” based on the life in hiding in Canada of Igor Gouzenko. Previously, Feldkamp adapted General Eisenhower’s "Crusade in Europe" to tv. Author-Comedian Joey Adams hat an exhaustive humorous piece on ISo Straight Men Left * * * one of the many byline pieces in the forthcoming 49th Anniversary Number of t'fifZIETY DUE SiWrt pean pictures are turned out by initiate a great, nationwide wave indies, profit participation is a of appreciation on the part of the common practice. Wise notes. Stars public for the motion picture thea- on the Continent are organizing tre in every town or neighbor- their own companies, too, just as hood." they do in Hollywood. Restrictions To carry out the program, of financing also cause the short- Reagan said Metro would provide age of stars, since both private and at no cost advertising material for governmental sources must know lobbies and screens, news releases which players will carry the "draw and special stories for the press, quotient" of a picture before the and radio and television presenla- advance of a single lira, franc or i tions “to bring the theatre and its shilling. attractions to the attention of the Production costs abroad have public." risen considerably during the past This is the second showmanship year, Wise noted, in touching on , gimmick Metro has launched in the phase of American producers . recent months. It is currently con- going to Europe for a picture. If | ducting a series of "Ticket Selling the picture is well planned in ad- Workshops ” which are designed to vance, and can proceed according ; give exhibs ideas on promotion ana to plan, then American producers may be able to save upwards of 25% on what the same picture would cost here. Should this ad- vance planning fail, then the cost will be on a level of that hefe. advertising. These workshops are staged in various exchange zones, some in conjunction with exhib conventions, and feature panels of experts in various phases of pro- motion and advertising.