Boxoffice barometer (1954)

DIRECTORS The Guiding Hands of the Bigger Hits * They Co-ordinate the Showmanship Ingredients 9 Sbirect 19 Dop J4lti of ’52-53 J£ING VIDOR says in his recent autobiography, “A Tree Is a Tree” (Harcourt, Brace & Co., New York) : “The first movie I ever saw was a trip to the moon. It was shown in the Grand Opera house in Galveston when I was about 15.” Somehow it seems a little odd that so many years ago, in the youth of one of the great directors, that such a picture would be showing when space travel today is being regarded as progressing from the realm of fantasy to possible fact. Directors will not be able to quote, “A tree is a tree — shoot it in Griffith Park” so sarcastically when they want to go on location in Africa or Alaska. They might have to choose between Venus and Mars. Whatever the location, a good director makes a good picture, given any kind of a story and a cast capable of translating it for the screen. Most actors learn early in their careers how much they owe to directors and cooperate gratefully. In studying the top hits for 1952-53, we find one director had three hits and eight had two each, so nine directors were responsible for 19 of the season’s best boxoffice product. Every one of the nine is a seasoned hand at the megaphone. Take George Marshall, who had three top hits to his credit. This director-writer began as an extra, working in short subjects for Universal at first and then in westerns. His career was interrupted while he served in World War I, after which he went with Pathe and made the Ruth Roland serials. From there he went to Fox to direct features, but in 1925 was made supervising director of all short units. He also directed the Bobby Jones golf subjects for Warners. His three hits for the 1952-53 season were all for Paramount. He is on the Blue Ribbon Award Honor Roll for two winners. Gordon Douglas, whose two hits were Warner releases, began as an actor with the Hal Roach Stock Co. He was a cowriter of the “Topper” series and he directed the Our Gang comedies before going on to direct bigger features. Henry Hathaway, native Californian, was a child star with the American Film Co. in 1908. At Universal he was a property boy and did juvenile roles, but his career was also interrupted by World War I, in which he was a gunnery instructor for the army. After a time working for an auditing company, he became property man for Frank Lloyd in 1921, and spent some time in India with Paul Bern. He directed shorts for Paramount, moving on to features. His 1952-53 hit pictures were directed for 20th-Fox. Hoosier-born Howard Hawks, educated at Cornell university, and another veteran of World War I, went to Hollywood to become a prop boy at the Paramount studios. First as assistant and then as story editor, he moved on to a director’s seat and to another studio. His two hits for the season are 20th-Fox releases. Hawks is credited with two Blue Ribbon Award winners. Henry King had a more varied career. He worked for the Norfolk & Western railway in many departments before touring in stock, with circuses, and playing vaudeville and burlesque houses. On stage he was in “Top O’ the Morning.” He became an actor for the Pathe studios, then writer, director and producer. At one time he was the executive head of the Inspiration Co., but went with Fox Film Co. and remained after its merger as 20th CenturyFox. Both hits for the season are 20th-Fox releases, and he has seven Blue Ribbon Award pictures to his credit. Mervyn LeRoy, producer and director, directed his two hits for the past season for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. LeRoy is another native Californian, was in vaudeville and contributed comedy when he entered motion pictures. He began directing in 1927, and since 1937 has both produced and directed. In 1942 he was appointed division supervisor of Hollywood production for the coordinator of Inter-American affairs. In 1944 he organized Arrowhead productions, his own producing company. A special Academy Award was received by him in 1945 for directing “The House I Live In.” Another honor which came to him was a citation from the Italian government for “Quo Vadis.” LeRoy is another seven-time Blue Ribbon Award winner. Vincente Minnelli began his thespian career as a child. Born in Chicago, he toured with the Minnelli Bros. Tent Show, later joining Balaban & Katz to assist with stage presentations. He went on to New York as stage director in several theatres and was art director of Radio City Music Hall for three years. In 1943 he made his screen debut, and his two hits for the 195253 season are MGM releases. In his ten years of directing in Hollywood studios he has won four Blue Bibbon Award plaques. Richard Thorpe was born in the middle west, a native Kansan. He was in vaude ville, stock and musical comedy from 1915 until 1918, and has been a director since 1933. His “The Great Caruso” was a Blue Ribbon winner, an MGM release, as were his two hit pictures for the season. Charles Walters, the third native Californian among these directors of top hits, was educated at the University of Southern California and went on the stage in Fanchon & Marco shows in 1934. He was part of a dance team at the Versailles Club in 1935 and acted in the legitimate theatre before becoming a director of dance sequences in motion pictures, moving on to full directional chores. One of his two hits for the season was “Lili,” in which the dance sequences are especially important. Three Blue Ribbon Awards have been won by pictures he directed. From this brief outline of the early and industry background of the directors who pulled the strings that animated so many of the hit pictures for the past season, no clear conclusion can be drawn as to what makes a hit director. One thing is obvious; they did not become experts by directing one or two pictures, but by long records of successful performance. Nor did they start as directors. They were aware of the problems to be worked out because they had been actors, prop boys, dancers — but also they had been patrons from the earliest years, for most of them were young when motion pictures were still something of a novelty. It might be safe to predict that so long as something of that novelty remains, the public will want to see pictures and the jobs of directors be secure. The following director is credited with three hit films: GEORGE MARSHALL: Scared Stiff (Para), Off Limits (Para), Houdini (Para) The following directors are credited with two hit films each: GORDON DOUGLAS: Charge at Feather River, The (WB), Iron Mistress, The (WB) HENRY HATHAWAY: Niagara (20thFox), White Witch Doctor (20th-Fox) HOWARD HAWKS: Big Sky, The (RKO) , Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (20thFox) HENRY KING: Snows of Kilimanjaro, The (20th-Fox), Stars and Stripes Forever (20th-Fox) MERVYN LE ROY: Latin Lovers (MGM), Million Dollar Mermaid (MGM) 50 BAROMETER Section