The Exhibitor (May-Oct 1945)

THE EXHIBITOR 8 20TH CENTURYFOX SETS 28 FOR 1945-1946 New York — Twenty-eight features will be released during 1945-46 by 20th CenturyFox, it was announced last week by Tom Connors, vice-president in charge of distribu¬ tion, following conferences at the studio with Darryl F. Zanuck, vice-president in charge of production. The lineup will have nine films in Technicolor, including Darryl F. Zanuck’s “Wilson,” generally released in August. The tentative list of features scheduled for 1945-46 release, from August, 1945, through July, 1946, follows: “A Bell For Adano,” based on John Hersey’s Pulitzer Prize-winning best¬ seller, directed by Henry King, and pro¬ duced by Louis D. Lighton and Lamar Trotti. John Hodiak, Gene Tierney and William Bendix head the cast. This is an August release. “Wilson,” a Darryl F. Zanuck Techni¬ color production, directed by Henry King. This special is an August release. “Junior Miss,” comedy, picturization of the Broadway stage hit, directed by George Seaton, and produced by William Perlberg, starring Peggy Ann Gamer. This is an August release. “The Way Ahead,” British-made Two Cities Film, directed by Carol Reed, and produced by Norman Walker and John Sutro. The cast is headed by David Niven. This is an August release. “Captain Eddie,” Eureka Pictures pro¬ duction, based on the life of Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, directed by Llyod Bacon, and produced by Winfield R. Sheehan. The cast is comprised of Fred MacMurray, Lynn Bari, Charles Bickford, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Nolan, and others. This is a September release. “Caribbean Mystery,” adapted from “Murder in Trinidad,” by John W. Vandercook, directed by Robert Webb, and produced by William Girard. The cast in¬ cludes James Dunn, Sheila Ryan, and others. This is a September release. “State Fair,” a Technicolor musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, from the Phil Stong novel, directed by Walter Lang, and produced by William Perlberg, co-starring Dana Andrews, Jeanne Crain, Dick Haymes and Vivian Blaine. This is scheduled for October re¬ lease. “House On 92nd Street,” a mystery, di¬ rected by Henry Hathaway, and produced by Louis de Rochemont. The cast includes William Eythe, Lloyd Nolan, Leo G. Carroll, and Lydia St. Clair. This is scheduled for October release. “And Then There Were None,” a Popu¬ lar Pictures production, produced and di¬ rected by Rene Clair, based on Agatha Christie’s novel. An all-star cast includes Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Louis Hayward, Roland Young, June Duprez, C. Aubrey Smith, Judith Anderson, and Mischa Auer. This special is scheduled for October release. “The Dolly Sisters,” a musical romance, in Technicolor, the history of Rosy and Jenny Dolly. Irving Cummings directed, and George Jessel produced. Starring Betty Grable and June Haver, this includes John Payne, Reginald Gardiner, Trudy Marshall, S. Z. Sakall, Gene Sheldon, Sig Ruman, and others. This is scheduled for November release. “Colonel Effingham’s Raid,” comedy drama, based on the novel by Barry Flem¬ ing, produced by Lamar Trotti, and di¬ rected by Irving Pichel. The cast includes Charles Cobum, Joan Bennett, William Eythe, Allyn Joslyn, Donald Meek, and Frank Craven. This is scheduled for November release. “Dragonwyck,” based on the popular novel by Anya Seton, an Ernst Lubitsch production, directed by Joseph Mankiewicz. The cast includes Gene Tierney, Vincent Price, Walter Huston, Glenn Langan, Anne Revere, Spring Byington, Henry Morgan, Ruth Ford, and others. This is scheduled for December release. "CAPTAIN EDDIE" GETS COLUMBUS PREMIERE Columbus— The world premiere of “Cap¬ tain Eddie” here last week was preceded by a high-rating exploitation campaign put over by 20th Century-Fox’s exploita¬ tion and publicity departments working under the direction of Hal Horne. August 1 was proclaimed “Captain Eddie Day” by joint proclamation of Ohio Governor Frank J. Lausche and Columbus Mayor James A. Rhodes. The governor’s proclamation was read over a coast-tocoast “We, the People” broadcast carried over CBS with Captain Eddie Ricken¬ backer, being heard on the program by pickup from the New York studios of CBS. On the day of the premiere, Governor Lausche was again heard on a coast-tocoast network. On July 31, Rickenbacker was honored by the degree of Doctor of Laws from Capital University. Other civic honors paid to the World War I hero included the naming of a local park “Captain Eddie Park.” Gala decorations bedecked the city in honor of the premiere with flags, bunting, and giant 20-foot photo blowups of Rick¬ enbacker and Fred MacMurray, who por¬ trays him in the film, on the capitol and the 30 surrounding buildings. Every important store in the city de¬ voted window space to picture tieup illus¬ trations and decorations, and practically every merchant took large space co-op ads to welcome “Captain Eddie.” The “Captain Eddie” headquarters in the most prominent spot in town was officially opened by the governor, and was visited by just about everyone in the city, who came to add his signature to the souvenir “Welcome Captain Eddie” book which was presented to Rickenbacker on opening night. On opening day, Rickenbacker led a monster parade of military units and civic organizations through the city, while bombers flew overhead. Rickenbacker was presented with keys to the state and to the city. “Fallen Angel,” based on the murder mystery novel by Marty Holland, produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The cast includes Alice Faye, Linda Darnell, Anne Revere, Charles Bickford, and Bruce Cabot. This is scheduled for December release. “The Spider,” based on the well-known stage hit, directed by Robert Webb, and produced by Ben Silvey. The cast includes Faye Marlowe, Richard Conte, Charles Tannen, and Martin Koslek. This is sched¬ uled for January release. “Leave Her To Heaven,” based on the best-seller by Ben Ames Williams, in Technicolor, directed by John Stahl, and produced by William Bacher, including Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Vincent Price, Jeanne Crain, Reed Hadley, and others. This is scheduled for January release. “Walk in the Sun,” with Dana Andrews and Richard Conte, produced by Lewis SPG Members Stay Out HOLLYWOOD — The Screen Pub¬ licists Guild last week claimed that 40 per cent of its membership observed picket lines maintained by the strikers at the studios, although members voted 107 to 99 to ignore them. The newest development had SPG members voting to walk out at Para¬ mount and Columbia, and all SPG members of those two studios were out. Milestone. This is scheduled for January release. “Doll Face,” based on the Broadway musical, “The Naked Genius,” produced by Bryan Foy. The cast includes Carole Landis, William Eythe, Carmen Miranda, Vivian Blaine, Allyn Joslyn, Perry Como, Jackie Gleason, and others. This is sched¬ uled for February release. “Enchanted Voyage,” based on the novel by Robert Nathan, produced by Walter Morosco, and directed by Lloyd Bacon. Filmed in Technicolor, the cast includes June Haver, John Payne, Charlotte Green¬ wood, Lee Patrick, Connie Marshall, Charles Russell, John Ireland, and Clem Bevans. This is scheduled for February release. “Kitten on the Keys,” a Technicolor musical, produced by George Jessel, and directed by Gregory Ratoff. The cast in¬ cludes Dick Haymes, Maureen O’Hara, Harry James and his orchestra, Stanley Prager, B. S. Pully, Reginald Gardiner, Chick Chandler and others. This is sched¬ uled for March release. “American Guerrilla in the Philippines,” based on the Ira Wolfert book, produced by Lamar Trotti, and directed by Bruce Humberstone, co-starring John Payne and Linda Darnell. This is scheduled for March release. “Cluny Brown,” a comedy, in Techni¬ color, based on the best-seller by Margery Sharp, produced and directed by Ernst Lubitsch, co-starring Jennifer Jones and Charles Boyer. This is scheduled for April release. “Chicken Every Sunday,” based on the Broadway smash stage hit. This is sched¬ uled for April release. “Smoky,” in Technicolor, based on Will James’ popular novel of the same name, produced by Robert Bassler, and directed by Louis King. The cast includes Fred MacMurray, Anne Baxter, Lynn Bari, Randolph Scott, Bruce Cabot, and John Russell. This is scheduled for May release. “Claudia and David,” based on another novel by Rose Franken. Produced by Wil¬ liam Perlberg, co-starring Dorothy Mc¬ Guire and Robert Young. This is sched¬ uled for May release. “The Razor’s Edge,” based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham, a Darryl F. Zanuck production, directed by Henry King. The cast includes Alice Faye, Maureen O’Hara, Gregory Peck, and Clif¬ ton Webb. This is scheduled for June re “Shock,” produced by Aubrey Schenck. This is scheduled for June release. “Centennial Summer,” a Technicolor musical, based on the book by Albert E. Idell, produced by Otto Preminger. The cast is headed by Linda Darnell, William Eythe, Jeanne Crain, and Cornel Wilde. This is scheduled for July release. “Dark Corner,” scheduled for July re¬ lease. Spain Bans "Watch" TANGIER — Spanish censors last fortnight banned showings of Warners’ “Watch On The Rhine” on the ground it was anti-Fascist. August 8, 1945