Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1952)

r STUDIO SIZ6-UPS (Continued from Page 9) UNITED ARTISTS 18-Month Slate of 42 To Top S30 Million Mark United Artists' recently announced slate of 42 pictures to be released between July 1 and the end of 1953, will come from 22 independent producers. The releasing company, according to west coast representatives, will have limited ownership participation in approximately one-half the pictures on the program, as a result of its assistance in lining up financing for the producers. Sixteen of the films will be in color, and the total cash outlay on the slate, they say, will exceed $30,000,000. Ten of the pictures are already completed, including: Stanley Kramer's "High Noon," David Rose's "Island of Desire," Samuel Fuller's "Park Row," King Brothers' "The Ring" and "South of Algiers," Alex Korda's "Outcast of the Islands" and "African Fury," Bernhard Vorhaus' "Encounter" and "Finishing School," and J. Arthur Rank's "Planter's Wife". Two more, "Morassi" (Martha Hyer-Morassi) aud "Kansas City 1-1-7" (John PayneColeen Gray) are now in production. The former, a Breakston-Stahl production is being filmed in color on the African continent, and the latter, is shooting at Samuel Goldwyn studios. Edward Small, Sol Lesser and Sam Briskin share the "Kansas City" producer credits, and Phil Karlson is directing. A good bet is that Leonard Goldstein, who is leaving U-I, will organize a unit to release through UA. Producer Small and actor Louis Hayward are turning to Alexandre Dumas for the story of their next partnership film which starts in July, for UA release. A deal has just been arranged for Hayward to headline "Return of the Corsican Brothers," with screenplay by Richard Schayer. Michael Kraike will produce, with Ray Nazarro directing. Hayward will share in the profits. Milton Krims and John Basch have just incorporated in Panama to produce, for UA release, "The Ninth Man," to be filmed in Italy with Eastman color. Errol Flynn and Valli will star. Production probably won't vc\ underway before the end of the year. UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL U-I Enters Tint Derby With 75% In Color For '52-53 Color made the big news on this lot in recent weeks. As a result of executive conferences held at the studio early this month, U-I will increa e its output of Technicolor pictures by 50 per cent, meaning that three 10 NATE BLUMBERG More Color For U-I fourths of all the 1952-53 product will be in the Technicolor medium. Color is good, we say, a real asset to a good story that is well made. Participating in the conferences were Nate Blumberg, Leo Spitz, William Goetz, Edward Muhl, Alfred E. Daff, David A. Lipton and Charles' J. Feldman. In addition to setting the new color commitments, the group laid plans to continue the high level of production, which provides 36 films for the current season. Releases will continue at the rate of three per month, regardless of seasonal ups and downs at the boxoffice, in an effort to provide exhibitors with mass audience appeal pictures the year around. Television production activity by U-I TV subsidiary, United World Films, got underway this month, with the first of five series of telepix scheduled to be filmed this summer. The shorts will run approximately 26 minutes each. Studio scuttlebutt had been forecasting a big big economy wave when and if the merger with Decca was finally consumated. Now that the deal is put aside, for the time being, at least, there's been some relaxing. There shouldn't be a let-down in care, however, for' there probably will be a more stringent attitude adopted by the high echelon here anyhow. Inasmuch as U-I has wisely avoided overloading itself with top salaried producers, directors and stars, the cut-backs are not expected to follow the lines of those shaping up at Fox and MGM. Rather, there will be a clamp-down on time lost in production, unnecessary luxuries and the adoption of sterner disciplinary action in dealing with temperamental talent. Despite the Goetz announcement that no outsider will be brought in to assume the production duties formerly handled by Leonard Goldstein, rumor continues in Hollywood that Bob Arthur will be returning to the lot. Arthur, you will remember, left U-I a year ago, to go Warner Brothers. This is the way the June production pic ture shapes up. Now shooting: "The G Companions" (Dan Dailey-Diana Lynj Douglas Sirk directing, Albert J. Cohen ducing, color by Technicolor; "Cattle K (Maureen O'Hara-Alex Nicol) — Lee She directing, Leonard Goldstein produ< color by Technicolor: "Mississippi Gam! (Tyrone Power-Piper Laurie) — Rud Mate directing, Ted Richmond produi color by Technicolor; and "Roughs! (Audie Murphy-Susan Cabot) — Na Juran directing for Aaron Rosenberg, c by Technicolor. Coming up later this month: "Semir (Barbara Hale Rock Hudson Antl Quinn), to be directed by Budd Boetti and produced by Howard Chirstie. Like four now in production, "Seminole" wil in Technicolor, making June a 100 per color month on the lot. WARNER BROTHERS Film Exec (Not WB) Gives lady of Fatima' High Praise It looks like Warners has come up ]-ki a winner in "Our Lady of Fatima" (Gilrt Roland). One industry official (not J nected with the Burbank company) ; sied, after seeing a a sneak preview of le picture, that it would equal the grosseilni "Going My Way". That's a mighty big e-i diction! With theatremen's tongues han pg out for topflight boxoffice merchandise A hope WB gets this into release quickly. There's food for speculation in the finouncement by Warner Brothers that if 1952-53 short subjects schedule is big boosted to 75 releases. This is a consider le increase over past years, and quite pos: !y could mean that the company intendraj offer a part, if not all of the shorts slatepr television. At least that's the way a lepf people in Hollywood are looking at the nouncement. Milton Sperling checked back in on tli | early this month after an extended hoi in Europe, with news that he has picke'lip 11 projects for future WB films. Nine oW projects are scheduled for Hollywood K>duction, while two will be made in Ernie. Warners' scripter Ted Sherdeman ps been upped to a producer status and ha; the reins on "The Helen Morgan Story' his initial assignment. The property for ly was on Robert Arthur's slate, b< Arthur secured his release from the earlier this month. Four pictures are currently in produc »ft two in Technicolor, one in WarnerC 4 Techni-tinters are: "April in Paris" (Py Bolger-Doris Day-Claude Dauphin), M "The Desert Song" (Kathryn Gra> I Gordon MacRae-Steve Cochran-RaynM Massey). "Springfield Rifle" (Gary Cocf'Phyllis Thaxter-David Brian) is the Wai Color project. The sole black and entry is "Big Jim McLain" (John ... Nancy Olson), which is shooting in H lulu. \,it< FILM BULLE1