Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1950)

STUDIO SIZE-UPS Behind the Scenes of Film Production COLUMBIA ECONOMY DRIVE FOSTERS NEW DOLLAR-SAVING METHODS 'pHERE'S BEEN some belt-tightening going on at Columbia in recent weeks, ■ with the result that there are almost daily outcroppings of new developments in the business of making and selling motion pictures. To date, nothing worldshattering has been forthcoming, but the general trend is an extremely healthy one in these times when the industry is standing at the crossroads. For instance, Gerald Rackett, one of the studio's technical executives, has just come up with a revolutionary type of supersensitized film for use in cases where the light level will not permit photography with standard stock. Another new development for the Gower street company is high-powered personal contact publicity to sell the new product. An excellent example is the selling job being planned on "711 Ocean Drive." According to present plans, 1 Frank Seltzer, the film's producer, will tour eastern cities to give newspapermen a first hand account of the threats and in1 timidation campaign staged by Las Vegas ! hoodlums in an attempt to forestall the filming of this picture, which deals with the national wire service racket and bookies. This is the kind of heads-up publicity campaign that can't fail to pay , off in free newspaper space and, consequently, added boxoffice revenues. As just one other example of the new ideas that are popping up on all sides at the studio, Producer George Cukor has come up with a scheme which permits the simultaneous filming of British and American^ versions of "Born Yesterday." Because the script is filled with American colloquialisms, Cukor decided that two versions would be necessary, and went about devising a scheme that would avoid additional drains on the budget. He came up with an idea whereby a scene is shot for the domestic market, and repeated immediately afterward on a wild sound track for the Britishers, so that it can be dubbed into the foreign print. Mickey Rooney has just inked a contract here to make three pictures during the next two years. The pact followed ithe wind-up of his first Columbia stint 'in 'He's A Cockeyed Wonder." EAGLE LION MERGER UNCERTAIN AS NEW FINANCIAL HITCHES DEVELOP J^S OF THIS writing, it's still anybody's guess as to whether or not the merger of Eagle Lion and Film Classics j will ever become an actuality, although JULY 17. 1950 HOLLYWOOD EDITORIAL Stars and Billing During the past few months, there have been an uncommonly large number of temperamental outbursts over "billing." At least half a dozen players of greater or lesser importance have done nip-ups because they were denied solo stardom, or because their names appeared on the billboards in type too small to mateh their egos. Someone should call the attention of these trouble-fmakers to a guy named Bing Crosby who, for several years now, has been one of the biggest screen stars of them all. Bing, also, has some very decided ideas about billing. In fact, he's so concerned about it that he demanded the insertion of a special clause in his last Paramount contract before he would agree to sign it. The clause prohibits the studio from giving him solo stardom in any picture without first obtaining his written approval. You see, Bing is convinced that the over-all excellence of his pictures is far more important to his career than is his own billing. He is also convinced that a picture in which he has well-known players, not as "support," but as full-fledged co-stars, will have a much better chance at the boxoffice than one which depends entirely on his own popularity. And he's smart enough to know that his standing as a star will be judged, not by the size of the type in which his name is printed on billboards, but by the amount of money his pictures put into the boxoffice tills. JAY ALLEN. most observers in Hollywood are of the opinion that the numerous stumbling blocks will eventually be cleared and the necessary amalgamation papers signed. One thing seems certain, a little more planning in advance might have saved a lot of headaches and needless confusion following the initial announcement. The most recent and by all odds the most serious hitch developed early this month when Film Classics was placed under the protection of the New York state courts to avoid the possibility of creditors pushing it into voluntary bankruptcy. Undoubtedly this will mean that Joseph C. Bernhard, FC prexy, will emerge with smaller stock holdings in the combined company than was originally planned. Furthermore, it does not entirely rule out the possibility of creditors forcing the company into bankruptcy, should any three of these creditors with debts exceeding $900 decide to file a petition with the Federal Court. In that case, the merger would undoubtedly go by the boards. Meanwhile, Hollywood hears that the temporarily merged company has been enjoying a sizeable weekly profit since the unofficial blending. During the first week of combined operations, the companies realized a $100,000 net. LIPPERT STUDIO QUIET; RE-ISSUE OF 'BABES IN TOYLAND' SET THE PRODUCTION hiatus continues here with only the musical scoring of "The Return of Jesse James" to break the lull. However, "Babes in Toyland," which Hal Roach produced in 1934 as a Laurel and Hardy starrer, has been set for re-issue by Lippert, under the new title, "Revenge is Sweet." Joseph Au3rbach, who now owns all releasing rights to the musical, set the deal with Lippert. It strikes this department that a grave error is being made by changing the title of the picture. Not only will many move-goers be offended when they learn they are seeing a picture they viewed years before, but many who would actually like to see this truly outstanding picture again are apt to miss it. After all, a picture of the calibre of "Babes" can stand up under its prestige on a re-issue. METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER METRO UPS 1950 RELEASES TO FIVE OVER 1949 LEVEL TyiETRO HAS UPPED its number of releases for 1950 by one-eighth over the 1949 level, it was revealed this month when the company's sales veepee, William. F. Rodgers, on a visit to the home lot, announced that releases for the final four months of the year will number between 13 and 16 features. With the 13 releases definitely set, in addition to three which will get special handling, the MGM schedule for the year totals 40 productions, as compared with only 35 in 1949. According to Rodgers' break-down, the release schedule for the final three months of the year, calls for three each in September, October and Novemmber, and four in December. Three features, "Annie Get Your Gun," "The Nexl Voice You Hear," and "Stars in My Crown," have not yet been set for general release, despite limited pre-release engagements, but are tentatively set to play a number of key and subsequent datings in many sections of the country during the final months of the yeaar. £ in Technicolor Five of the new crop of releases will be in Technicolor, with one to be released each month except December, when there will be two. Furthermore, this department would like to go on record as touting these releases as perfect examples of the industry slogan, "Movies Are Better Than Ever." Probably at no time in Metro's history has the backlog been filled with pictures of such uniformly high quality. The releases by months: September: "Summer Stock," "A Life of Her Own," and "Devil's Doorway." October: "The Toast of New Orleans," "Right Cross," and "To Please A Lady." November: "King Solomon's Mines," "The Violent