Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Apr 3, 1954)

PAGE EIGHT 22 Top Films From Republic In ’54 CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST APRIL 3, 1954 Paced by the spectacular world premiere of “Jubilee Trail” in New Orleans, 22 top-budget features will be released by Republic Pictures during 1954, it is announced by Herbert J. Yates, president of the company. “Our faith in this industry has been substantially proved during the past year by the outstanding public acceptance of truly fine motion pictures,” said Yates. “For this reason, Republic has searched the publishing field thoroughly for bestselling novels and has secured top boxoffice stars and production personnel for its new program, a majority of which will be filmed in gorgeous Trucolor by Consolidated.” Already completed and now being readied for release are: “Johnny Guitar,” starring Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden and Scott Brady in Trucolor; “Hell's Half Acre,” starring Wendell Corey, Evelyn Keyes and Elsa Lanchester; “Make Haste To Live,” starring Dorothy McGuire and Stephen McNally; “The Outcast,” in Trucolor, starring John Derek and Joan Evans; “The Shanghai Story,” starring Ruth Roman and Edmond O'Brien; “Laughing Anne,” starring Wendell Corey, Margaret Lock wood and Forrest Tucker in Technicolor; “Trouble in the Glen,” starring Margaret Lockwood, Orson Welles, Forrest Tucker and Victor McLaglen in Trucolor. Augmenting this completed lineup will be Republic’s 1954 program of deluxe pictures, the most ambitious in the company’s history, highlighted by a production to be directed by John Ford and including “The Big Whisper,” to be made in Berlin by Virginia Van Upp; “High Iron,” an outdoor action film; “The Life of Richard Wagner”; “The Passion Play”; “The Vanishing American,” from one of Zane Grey’s most famous stories; “Santa Fe Passage,” epic story of the trek West; “The Great ‘H’ Bomb Robbery,” based on a Bob Considine story; “Man From Texas,” from a Saturday Evening Post serial, “Melvin and the Atom,” a Mickey Rooney comedy; Jesse James Was My Neighbor”; “The Alamo” and “Timber. Jack.” SuperScope Demonstrated In New York A fresh approach to the wide-screen anamorphic system involving photography, Was outlined last week by Joseph Tushinsky, ing the first public demonstration of the SuperScope system developed in Hollywood by Tushinsky and his brother, Irving, who was also present in New York. Speaking backstage in the “Green Room” projection problem —via a complete laboratory processing and projection— at an industry press conference follow where samples showing the method’ ducing large ability and picture quality: 1, Pictures photographed with norma cameras and lenses, but framed for conversion to the 1.75:1 and 2:1 aspect ratios. 2. Conversion of the standard images in the laboratory to 1.7:1 and 2:1 anamorphic prints, via optical printing with equipment supplied by SuperScope. 3. Projection of the print closest to the desired ratio with the variable SuperScope adaptor, to the screen proportion best suited to the individual theatre. Tushinsky assured that the SuperScope lens could be used to project CinemaScope prints (2.55:1), and the demonstration included footage shot by Disney and MGM in CinemaScope. Speaking in the theatre prior to the demonstration, Tushinsky declared that the 20th-Fox CinemaScope method has fully justified itself. Emphasizing that SuperScope was compatible with CinemaScope as well as other filming methods, Tushinsky heralded SuperScope as an anamorphic process for all the world’s theatres, regardless of size or economic Status, Tushinsky added, however, that it was up to the industry to determine if all theatres will eventually embrace anamorphic projection. SuperScope was offered as a method with which a theatre could maintain its present screen height, at the same time of the RKO 86th Street Theatre, : s latitude had been screened for an enthusiastic Eastern industry and press audience, Tushinsky offered the followin screen images at reasonable costs, with the added fac g plan for protors of compatadding width as desired. The SuperScope variable anamorphic projection adaptor will be distributed by National Screen Service, Tushinsky said. Tushinsky emphasized that RKO Pictures, which made available facilities for development of the SuperScope process, has no interest in the method. RKO thus far has arranged to release five of its upcoming pictures in SuperScope and is expected to add others to the lineup, Tushinsky indicated. In addition, negotiations are underway with Columbia, Walt Disney, Samuel Goldwyn, Hecht-Lancaster, M-G-M, Paramount, Warners, Wayne-Fellows, United Artists, and others. Pictures shown at the demonstration included “Knights” in the various ratios, as well as scenes from RKO’s “Susan Slept Here,” “The Big Rainbow,” “Silver Lode” and “Son of Sinbad”; shots from United Artists’ “Vera Cruz,” and some specially-photographed material. Tushinsky lauded Barney Balaban, Paramount president, and Y. Frank Freeman, studio chief, for their cooperation and interest in the development of SuperScope. He was enthusiastic over Paramount's VistaVision method of photographing double-sized _images, which are reduced to standard 35 mm. prints in the laboratory, and which may also be converted to squeeze prints for anamorphic projection, Peter Brown, President General Theatres, Dies Peter Brown, president of General Theatres Limited, died Thursday, March 25th, at the Toronto General Hospital, after a short but Serious illness. It is hard to think of Pete as dead, for he has been active in our business for so many years, although he was only fifty-one years old at his death. Peter Brown was in the Equipment and general theatre supplie: business, for about thirty years. He came to his late company, from Perkins Electric, succeeding Ben Whitham as office manager and purchasing agent. When Ben Burko, in 1938, sold the Canadian Theatre Supply Co., the present business was reorganized, and Peter Brown became Sales Manager and late President of the reorganized company, which operates as General Theatres Limited, with offices across Canada. Possessed of a quiet and almost retiring manner, Pete was nevertheless aggressive, and could talk a good deal. He had a thorough knowledge of equipment, both technical and showmanship-wise. His many friends will be grieved at his death, and his business associates, and those who knew that they could always depend on his service, will miss him greatly. He was a member of the Canadian Picture Pioneers, Variety Tent 28, member and past master of Dufferin Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and was a member of WoodGreen United Church. He leayes his wife, the former Mary Doige, two sons, Douglas and David, and a brother, Winslow. Funeral services took place on Monday, March 29th, at the Joseph P. Thompson Leaside Funeral Home. Interment, Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Ite WI TR ——————————————