Boxoffice barometer (1954)

THREE GOBS IN PARIS (Comedy). Stars: not set. Producer: Albert J. Cohen. Director: not set. Original: Ray Buffum. Screenplay: Charles Hoffman. • Three sailors on leave from a cruiser making a shakedown cruise around the world land in Paris, meet an American girl who is trying to care for six orphaned French children, and stage a benefit show to raise money for the homeless waifs. TO HELL AND BACK (Biographical Drama). Stars: Audie Murphy (incomplete). Producer: Aaron Rosenberg. Director: not set. Original: Audie Murphy. Screenplay: not set. • Audie Murphy will portray himself in this film version of his autobiography, dealing with his World War II experiences, from which conflict he emerged as America's most-decorated soldier. WAR ARROW (Western). Stars: Maureen O'Hara, Jeff Chandler, Suzan Ball. Producer: John W Rogers. Director: George Sherman. Original Screenplay: John Michael Hayes. • Despite opposition, Jeff Chandler, a U. S. cavalry major, enlists displaced Seminole Indians in an effort to halt bloody raids on settlers and soldiers by marauding Kiowa Indians in Texas. His strategy proves successful, the Kiowas retreat in confusion and Chandler takes as his bride Maureen O'Hara, widow of a renegade cavalry officer. Filmed in Technicolor. YANKEE PASHA (Action Drama). Stars: Jeff Chandler, Rhonda Fleming, Mamie Van Doren. Producer: Howard Christie. Director: Joseph Pevney. Original: Edison Marshall. Screenplay: Joseph Hoffman. • In 1880, Jeff Chandler, an American frontiersman, journeys to Morocco to rescue the girl he loves, Rhonda Fleming, who has been kidnapped by Barbary pirates. Chandler outwits a Moroccan tyrant, rescues Rhonda and other captured Americans, and returns safely to the U. S. From the novel by Edison Marshall. In Technicolor. WARNER BROS . (September 5 through December 26, 1953) THE BEGGAR'S OPERA (Comic Opera). Stars: Laurence Olivier, Hugh Griffith. Producers: Herbert Wilcox, Laurence Olivier. Director: Peter Brook. Original: John Gay. Screenplay: Denis Cannan. • British-made. A dashing highwayman, Laurence Olivier, meets a beggar in prison who has written an opera about him, and its story unfolds. The prisoners revolt when the highwayman is about to be hanged, free him, and he rides away singing. In Technicolor. Sept. 26, 1953 (special engagements only). BLOWING WILD (Drama). Stars: Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Ruth Roman, Anthony Quinn. Producer: Milton Sperling (United States Pictures). Director: Hugo Fregonese. Original Screenplay: Philip Yordan. • Oil wildcatter Gary Cooper, down on his luck in Mexico, meets stranded American girl, Ruth Roman, and a big-time operator whose wife, Barbara Stanwyck, was his former sweetheart. Stanwyck kills her husband following a quarrel and is herself killed by bandits. Cooper and Roman then head for the U.S. Oct. 17, 1953. CALAMITY JANE (Musical Western). Stars: Doris Day, Howard Keel, Philip Carey. Producer: William Jacobs. Director: David Butler. Original Screenplay: James O'Hanlon. • Doris Day portrays Calamity Jane, wildest woman in the wild west, who vows to bring to Deadwood — for the entertainment of the citizens — one of the popular singers of the day. Through a series of misunderstandings and complications Calamity Jane fails in the mission, and finds love in the arms of Wild Bill Hickok. In Technicolor. Nov. 14, 1953. THE DIAMOND QUEEN (Adventure Drama). Stars: Fernando Lamas, Arlene Dahl, Gilbert Roland. Producer: Frank Melford (Melson Productions). Director: John Brahm. Original Screenplay: Otto Englander. • Fernando Lamas goes to India seeking substitute jewel for one his diamond-cutter father accidentally destroyed for the crown of Louis XIV. A secret weapon helps him obtain fabulous diamond, after treachery by the Queen of Nepal and her fiance. In color. Nov. 28, 1953. ISLAND IN THE SKY (Drama). Stars: John Wayne, Lloyd Nolan, Walter Abel, James Arness, Andy Devine. Producers: Wayne-Fellows. Director: William A. Wellman. Original: Ernest K. Gann. Screenplay: Ernest K. Gann. • John Wayne, a civilian pilot flying an army transport during World War II, is forced down in uncharted Arctic cou itry. The batteries go dead and the radio is silenced, but feeble signals of the emergency transmitter are heard, guiding search planes to the rescue. Sept. 5, 1953. A LION IS IN THE STREETS (Drama). Stars: James Cagney, Barbara Hale, Anne Francis. Producer: William Cagney. Director: Raoul Walsh. Original: Adria Locke Langley. Screenplay: Luther Davis. • By using the slogans and tricks of a demagogue, a one-time peddler rises to the position of autocratic governor of the mythical state of Magnolia before his downfall. In Technicolor. Oct. 3, 1953. THE MOONLIGHTER (Western Drama). Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Ward Bond Producer: Joseph Bernhard. Director: Roy Rowland. Original Screenplay: Niven Busch. • Fred MacMurray is a "moonlighter," a man who rustles cattle by the light of the moon. He escapes from jail when a mob breaks in after him and hangs the wrong man. Vowing revenge, he goes all bad until he saves the woman he loves and is persuaded to give himself up. In Natural Vision 3-D, also in 2-D. Sept. 19, 1953. SO BIG (Drama). Stars: Jane Wyman, Sterling Hayden, Nancy Olson. Producer: Henry Blanke. Director: Robert Wise. Original: Edna Ferber. Screenplay: John Twist. • From Edna Ferber's Pulitzer prize-winning novel of a young schoolteacher in a Dutch farming community who marries a farmer. Left a widow, she markets the produce herself and raises son to be an architect, seeing him through temporary indecisions. Oct. 31, 1953. 3 SAILORS AND A GIRL (Musical Comedy). Stars: Jane Powell, Gene Nelson, Gordon MacRae. Producer: Sammy Cahn. Director: Roy Del Ruth. Original: Play by George S. Kaufman. Screenplay: Devery Freeman, Roland Kibbee. • Three submarine sailors with a combined nestegg of $50,000 put their money into a Broadway show starring Jane Powell, who has captivated all of them. The show flops, but Jane reworks it with an all-sailor cast and it becomes a smash hit. In Technicolor. Dec. 26, 1953. THUNDER OVER THE PLAINS (Western). Stars Randolph Scott, Phyllis Kirk, Lex Barker. Producer: David Weisbart. Director: Andre de Toth. Original Screenplay: Russell Hughes. • Northern carpetbaggers and the army of occupation are preying upon victimized Texas in 1869. Although in sympathy with the Texans, Randolph Scott, an army officer, is ordered to capture an outlaw gang that has been defying the carpetbaggers. Through Scott's understanding aid, the outlaws are finally pardoned. In WarnerColor. Dec. 12, 1953. Coming BATTLE CRY (War Drama). Stars: not set. Producer: Henry Blanke. Director: Raoul Walsh. Original: Leon Uris. Screenplay: Leon Uris. a A story of the U.S. marines in the South Pacific during World War II, this is an adaptation of the novel and is scheduled for filming in CinemaScope. BLACK IVORY (Historical Drama). Stars: not set. Producer: Henry Blanke. Director: not set. Original: Polan Banks. Screenplay: not set. a A biographical adventure drama based on the life of Jean LaFitte, the pirate. THE BOUNTY HUNTER (Western). Stars: Randolph Scott, Dolores Dorn, Marie Windsor. Producer: Samuel Bischoff. Director: Andre de Toth. Original: Winston Miller, Finlay McDermid. Screenplay: John Twist. a Randolph Scott, who tracks down criminals for whom a reward is offered, gets a government assignment to catch three train robbers. He trails them to Twin Forks, realizes they must still be in town, and ultimately exposes the postmaster, the sheriff and a gambler's wife as the culprits. In 3-D and WarnerColor. THE BOY FROM OKLAHOMA (Western). Stars: Will Rogers jr., Nancy Olson, Wallace Ford. Producer: David Weisbart. Director: Michael Curtiz. Original Screenplay: Frank David. a Will Rogers jr., an easy-going cowboy, is appointed sheriff of Bluerock by the town boss, who wants a pawn in office so corrupfion, vice and graft can continue. No fool, Rogers cracks down, outwits Billy the Kid and other desperadoes, cleans up the town and plans to set up a law practice. THE COMMAND (Historical Western). Stars: Guy Madison, Joan Weldon, James Whitmore. Producer: David Weisbart. Director: David Butler. Original Screenplay: James Warner Bellah. a Guy Madison, of the army medical corps, takes command of a cavalry troop when its ccptain is killed by Indians. The troop is assigned, with others; to convoy a wagon train through hostile Indian country. They battle redskins and illness, whip the Indians in a climactic battle, and reach their destination in safety. In 3-D and WarnerColor. DIAL M FOR MURDER (Suspense Drama). Stars: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings. ProducerDirector: Alfred Hitchcock. Original: Frederick Knott. Screenplay: not set. a Ray Milland plans the perfect crime — the murder of his wife, Grace Kelly, by a man whom Milland is blackmailing — so that Milland, who married her for her money, will inherit her wealth. The plot backfires, Milland is arrested, and Grace is free to marry Robert Cummings, who really loves her. In 3-D and WarnerColor. DUFFY OF SAN QUENTIN (Biographical Drama). Stars: Paul Kelly, Joanne Dru, Louis Hayward. Producers: Berman Swarttz, Walter Doniger. Director: Walter Doniger. Original: Clinton Duffy. Screenplay: Walter Doniger. a A film version of the autobiography of Clinton Duffy, long-time warden of San Quentin prison and well-known advocate of prison reform. EAST OF EDEN (Drama). Stars: not set. Producer Director: Elia Kazan. Original: John Steinbeck. Screenplay: John Steinbeck. e A panoramic story of California's San Joaquin valley country, this is an adaptation of the widelyread novel by John Steinbeck. THE EDDIE CANTOR STORY (Biographical Drama With Music). Stars: Keefe Brasselle, Marilyn Erskine, Arthur Franz. Producer: Sidney Skolsky. Director: Alfred E. Green. Original: Sidney Skolsky. Screenplay: Ted Sherdeman. a This traces the show-business career of Eddie Cantor (portrayed by Keefe Brasselle) from his start as a blackface act with the famed Gus Edwards revue. He becomes a smash hit with the Ziegfeld Follies, is wiped out in the 1929 crash and makes a comeback to become universally respected as a great entertainer and unselfish American. Filmed in Technicolor. GIANT (Historical Western). Stars: not set. Producers: George Stevens, Henry Ginsberg. Director: George Stevens. Original: Edna Ferber. Screenplay: not set. a From the best-selling novel by Edna Ferber, this panoramic historical outdoor drama, which has Texas as its locale, will be filmed in GinemaScope. GOWN OF GLORY (Drama). Stars: not set. Producer: Henry Blanke. Director: not set. Original: Agnes Sligh Turnbull. Screenplay: John Monks jr. a This is the story of a minister in a small village 50 years ago. THE HELEN MORGAN STORY (Biography With Music). Stars: Doris Day (incomplete). Producer: Ted Sherdeman. Director: not set. Original Screenplay: Dean Reisner, Lou Breslow, Arthur Ross, Frank Davis, a Which spins the life and career of Helen Morgan, the noted cabaret torch singer. HELEN OF TROY (Costume Drama). Stars: not set. Producer: not set. Director: Robert Wise. Original: John Erskine. Screenplay: Hugh Gray, Virginia Van Upp. a This historical romance is based on the stormy career of the fabulous beauty who was abducted from her husband by Paris, the Trojan hero — an act which precipitated war between Troy and Sparta. To be made in Italy in CinemaScope and WarnerColor. THE HIGH AND MIGHTY (Drama). Stars: John Wayne, Lionel Barrymore, Laraine Day. Producers: Wayne-Fellows Productions. Director: William Wellman. Original: Ernest K. Gann. Screenplay: Ernest K. Gann. a Filmed in CinemaScope and WarnerColor, this is an adaptation of the novel by Ernest K. Gann, dealing with a commercial airliner which develops engine trouble while flying the Pacific between Honolulu and San Francisco. HIS MAJESTY O'KEEFE (Romantic Drama). Stars: Burt Lancaster, Joan Rice, Andre Morell. Producer: Harold Hecht (Norma Productions). Director: Byron Haskin. Original: Lawrence Klingman, Gerald Green. Screenplay: Borden Chase, James Hill, a Set adrift by his mutinous crew, Burt Lancaster reaches a South Pacific island and, upon his arrival back in Hong Kong, conceives the idea of preying upon islanders' superstitions to become richest man in the Pacific. Bringing war and death to tribesmen he undergoes a change of heart, initiates a regime of peace and prosperity. In Technicolor. HONDO (Western). Stars: John Wayne, Geraldine Page, Ward Bond. Producers: Wayne-Fellows Productions. Director: John Farrow. Original Screenplay: not set. a John Wayne is a cavalry dispatch rider in the southwest in the 1870s. He falls in love with the wife of a drunken rancher, is captured by warring Apaches, is forced to kill the woman's husband, and — with her and her young son — sets out for California. In 3-D and WarnerColor. LAND OF THE PHARAOHS (Drama). Stars: not set. Producer-Director: Howard Hawks. Original: William Faulkner. Screenplay: William Faulkner, a A story of Egypt, based on the novel by William Faulkner, this will be filmed in CinemaScope. THE LIFE OF GENERAL PATTON (Biographical Drama). Stars: not not. Producer: not set. Director: Raoul Walsh. Original Screenplay: not set. a This film version of the career of Gen. George S. Patton, Third Army commander during World War II, who was famed for his tank tactics, will be made with the approval and cooperation of the department of defense. In CinemaScope and WarnerColor. LUCKY ME (Musical). Stars: Doris Day, Robert Cummings, Phil Silvers. Producer: Henry Blanke. Director: Jack Donohue. Original: James O'Hanlon. Screenplay: not set. a This tunefilm, with a score by Sammy Fain and Paul Webster, is in CinemaScope and WarnerColor. THE MIRACLE (Religious Drama). Stars: not set. Producer: not set. Director: not set. Original: Karl Vollmoeller, Engelbert Humperdinck. Screenplay: Crane Wilbur. a In CinemaScope, this is a film version of the stage spectacle, in which a nun leaves her convent without permission, and a statue of the Virgin Mary takes her place so the world will not learn of the nun's defection. MR. ROBERTS (Comedy-Drama). Stars: Marlon Brando (incomplete). Producer: not set. Director: not set. Original: Thomas Heggan, Joshua Logan. Screenplay: not set. BOXOFFICE 90-A