20th Century-Fox Dynamo (April 1950)

DYNAMO PRODUCT SEMI ANNUAL ROGER FERRI Editor Published twice every year by the domestic De- partment Of Distribution of Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation in New York, N.Y., U.S.A., for the information of motion picture theatre opera- tors, managers, film buyers and film bookers of the United States and Canada. SPYROS P. SKOURAS President WILLIAM C. MICHEL Executive Vice-President W HEN the some 71-story properties outlined in this 1950-51 report are finally delivered to this com- pany’s Department of Distribution for release to the 32,000 motion picture theatres 20th Century-Fox regularly serves—more than 17,000 in the U.S. and Canada, and 15,000 abroad—they will have re- quired the services of more than 38,000 people directly associated with the studio organization super- vised by Darryl F. Zanuck. Vital statistics and facts representing the effort applied to the picturization of these 71 story properties will give the reader of the Dynamo Product Special a better idea of the magnitude of the product to be released during the remainder of this year and 1951. W HEN completed, these 71 screen plays will represent an outlay well in excess of $100,000,000. They will also represent the completed responsibility of more than 5,000 writers, producers, directors, cameramen, technicians, and other studio employees including architects, engineers, carpenters, plumbers, steel workers, plasterers, bricklayers, painters, landscapers, etc. These 71 stories will have been whipped into motion pictures by 19 ace producers and 37 directors. Involved in their completion will have been 62 stars, principals, producers, directors, writers, cameramen, technical and musical experts who have to date collected a total of 89 Academy Awards. DARRYL F. ZANUCK Vice-President In Charge Of Production AL LICHTMAN Vice-President ANDREW W. SMITH, JR. Vice-President In Charge Of Domestic Distribution S. CHARLES EINFELD Vice-President In Charge Of Publicity, Advertising And Exploitation EXECUTIVE OFFICERS Vice-Presidents: Murray Silverstone and Joseph H. Moskowitz. Treasurer-Secretary: Donald A. Hen- derson. Comptroller and Assistant Treasurer: Wil- fred J. Eadie. Chief Counsel: Otto E. Koegel. PRODUCTION Executives: Lew Schreiber, Executive Manager in Charge of Studio Operations and Executive Assist- ant to Mr. Zanuck ; Fred Metzler, Studio Treasurer and Manager ; Ray A. Klune, Executive Production Manager; Jason S. Joy, Director of Public Rela- tions ; J. B. Codd, Controller, and Harry Brand, Studio Publicity Director. Producers: Robert Bassler, Julian Blaustein, Jules Buck, Samuel Engel, George Jessel, Nunnally Johnson, Fred Kohlmar, Louis Lighton, Anatole Litvak, Joseph Mankiewicz, Frank McCarthy, Wil- liam Perlberg, Otto Preminger, Gregory Ratoff, Casey Robinson, Sol Siegel and Lamar Trotti. DISTRIBUTION Home Office: William C. Gehring, Assistant Gen- eral Sales Manager ; Peter Levathes, short subjects. Movietone News and March Of Time sales manager ; Clarence A. Hill, manager of branch operations; Lem Jones, executive assistant to Mr. Smith ; Frank Carroll, assistant to Mr. Smith; Morris Caplan, manager of domestic Sales Statistical Research Department; Harry Mersay, Print Department manager; Sam Shain, manager of exhibitor rela- tions for domestic distribution, and Roger Ferri, sales promotion and editor, Dynamo. Division Sales Managers: Martin Moskowitz, Empire State (New York, Albany and Buffalo) ; Edward X. Callahan, New England (Boston and New Haven) ; Howard G. Minsky, Mid-East (Phila- delphia, Pittsburgh and Washington) ; Raymond E. Moon, Central (Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, De- troit and Indianapolis) ; Harry G. Ballance, South (Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Memphis, New Orleans and Oklahoma City) ; Edwin W. Aaron, Midwest (Des Moines, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Omaha and St. Louis) ; Herman Wobber, West (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Portland, Seattle and Salt Lake City), and Arthur Silverstone, Canada (Calgary, Montreal, St. John, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg). Assistant Division Sales Managers: Paul S. Wil- son, South, and Bryan D. Stoner, West. Branch Managers: Daniel R. Houlihan, Albany, N. Y.; Fred R. Dodson, Atlanta, Ga.; James M. Connolly, Boston, Mass. ; Charles B. Kosco, Buffalo, N. Y. ; John E. Holston, Charlotte, N. C. ; Tom R. Gilliam, Chicago, 111.; Joseph B. Rosen, Cincinnati, O. ; I. J. Schmertz, Cleveland, O. : Mark Sheridan, Jr., Dallas, Tex. ; V. J. Dugan, Denver, Col. ; Ralph Pielow, Jr., Des Moines, la. ; Joseph J. Lee, Detroit, Mich. ; Tom O. McCleaster, Indianapolis, Ind. ; Joseph R. Neber, Kansas City, Mo. ; Clyde W. Eck- hardt, Los Angeles, Cal. ; Tom W. Young, Memphis, Tenn. ; Jack H. Lorentz, Milwaukee, Wis. ; Morton A. Levy, Minneapolis, Minn.; Benjamin A. Simon, New Haven, Conn. ; William A. Briant, New Or- leans, La. ; Sam E. Diamond, New York, N. Y. ; Marion W. Osborne, Oklahoma City, Okla. ; J. E. Scott, Omaha, Neb. ; Sieg Horowitz, Philadelphia, Pa. ; A1 Levy, Pittsburgh, Pa. ; Charles F. Powers, Portland, Ore. ; Gordon F. Halloran, St. Louis, Mo. ; Charles L. Walker, Salt Lake City, Utah ; Alex W. Harrison, San Francisco; Chilton L. Robinett, Seattle, Wash. ; C. Glenn Norris, Washington, D. C. ; Vernon M. Skorey, Calgary, Alta. ; Gerald L. Chernoff, Montreal, Quebec ; Reginald G. March, St. John, N. B. ; Peter Myers, Toronto, Ont.; James E. Patterson, Vancouver, B. C., and Joseph H. Huber, Winnipeg, Manitoba. T HE 71 stories represent 32 novels, including 19 that have been in the top best-seller list for any- where from three to seven months; nine musicals-, 11 stage plays and 19 originals or adaptations of short stories that have been published by nationally circulated magazines. To authentically and realistically turn these stories into screenplays, the studio will have dispatched some 44 units to loca- tions necessitating these companies’ personnel travelling a total of 385,415 miles. Of that total, 317,238 represents mileage in some 15 countries outside the United States and 16,177 miles will be covered by units on domestic locations. M ORE than 12,000 players will have acted in these 71 attractions. Included in that total will have been 135 stars and featured “name” players and 643 principals, 150 Navajos and 383 Apache Indians, 1100 Filipinos and 3500 Africans. These will have worked in 20th Century-Fox pictures filmed at the 300-acre Movietone City in Westwood, Cal.; the 2300-acre 20th Century Ranch, some 31 miles from the main studio; at the old Western avenue studio in Hollywood, Cal.; in 27 of the 48 United States, two Canadian provinces, Mexico, England, Scotland, Australia, the Philippine Islands, itrazil, Haiti, France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, French Morocco (Africa), Egypt and other Near East- ern countries. S CENIC backgrounds will have necessitated 39 companies to visit such American communities as New York (11 times), Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco (three times), Denver, Oklahoma City, Boston, Providence (R.I.), Washington (D.C.), Sun Valley and other places. The stories span a period beginning with the days of Queen Sheba and King Solomon to contemporary times. About two score of them will have color by Technicolor. Nine will have been out and out musicals, en- tailing the services of the 20th Century-Fox orchestra of more than 100 musicians supervised by Acad- emy Award winner, Alfred Newman; seven dance directors, several hundred dancing girls, and music representing the works of 31 composers and lyric writers. R ESORTS like Sun Valley, those along the St. Lawrence river. Port Au Prince (Haiti), the French and Italian Riviera, five national parks in the Rockies and Ozarks and four Indian reservations will have been visited by camera units or acting companies making 13 of the 71 screenplays. For the first time an American company will have transported a full troupe of producers, directors, cameramen, technicians, stars and supporting players and equipment to the French and Italian Riviera for the production of a Technicolor musical. Right now a company headed by Tyrone Power and Michel- ine Prelle is in the Philippine Islands making the picturization of the novel, “American Guerrilla In The Philippines” (page 10). E VERY means of transportation from the fastest trans-ocean luxury planes to camels will have been mustered into service to turn into achievement the 71 stories reported. In the filming of the Technicolor production of Bob Costain’s “The Black Rose” in Africa, Producer Louis Lighton and Director Henry Hathaway pressed some 3000 camels, 2100 horses and more than 3,000 people into service. Enough power will have been used in the manufacture of this product to service an Amer- ican city of 500,000 people for five months. The American way of life is accurately dramatized in more than 50 of these photoplays, embracing everything from television to the deportment of mountain folks in the Ozarks, small town and big city. The themes of the stories run the gamut of human emotions. A LSO to give authenticity to screenplays the studio will have enjoyed in the preparation and pro- duction of 19 of these stories the co-operation of the United States Army, United States Navy, the ■ Marine Corps, U.S. Merchant Marine, Department of Commerce, U.S. Health Bureau, Army Judge Advocate, Allied Army of Occupation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Scotland Yard, De- partment of Interior, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New Orleans police depart- ments, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Weather Bureau, five of the major transcontinental and trans-oceanic air- lines, 17 foreign governments, and 107 various agencies. In addition, it will have had access to the archives of various Federal, State, municipal and foreign governments. T HE RECORD shows conclusively that outstanding entertainments continue enjoying outstanding boxoffice patronage. This company feels that interest in movies on the public’s part is as wide and intense as ever. There is a potential of untapped millions—people who are eager to get the most for their money. And, the fact remains that movies still constitute the greatest entertainment buy in any land. This company Has said all it intends to say. It will now say it with action — with performance. It will demonstrate its great confidence in the future of motion pictures with the delivery of a product that will give truth to the slogan: “Movies are better than ever”.—R.F. 1950 Business Will Be Good For Those Who Make It Good