Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1952)

Hcllifuccd 7jcte(fcck REPORT FROM THE STUDIOS Volume of M*ro€tuvt Above M*ur for lh>< <„,!><>, Practically every studio in I lolly wood is operating above average this month, with only RKO, Columbia and Allied Artists lagging behind. All other studios, have between four and eight pictures in production, the highest December peak since 1947. By the end of the month, a total of 45 productions will have been in some stage of filming, of which 15 are slated for Technicolor processing. Metro leads the production parade with eight, all but Metro is on the verge of launching one of s heaviest production periods in history, rith 15 pictures scheduled to go before the imeras in a three-month period. This deision evolved from the series of studio conibs held earlier this month, in which both ist and west coast executives participated. The company is currently sitting on the aaviest backlog of films in its long and 'osperous history. In all, there are 27 cometed productions awaiting release — 13 of lem having been canned since September 1 There are 52 story properties in work at Hie present time, from which the heavy slate production for the rest of December, Jan liry and February will be drawn. Releases |r the year will reach the near-record level \ 40. ' Included in the three-month production tjie-up are: "Latin Lovers" (Lana Turner:jicardo Montalban), "Blue Goddess" (Red celton-Cara Williams) and "Years Ago" •pencer Tracy-Jean Simmons), which have st gone before the cameras. Others on lie slate aref: "Easy to Love," "All the fothers Were Valiant," "Take the High •ound," "Interrupted Melody," "Kiss Me hte," "Jefferson Selleck," "Affairs of )bie Gillis," "One More Time," "I Marid West Point," "Flight to the Islands," lig Leaguer" and "Scarlet Coat." Unfortunately, this production boost did It occur quite in time to forestall a heavy j'-off of Metro employees during late Nomber and early December. Although the ' '-off s are largely temporary in nature, y.y nevertheless had a very demoralizing meet on the studio personnel as a whole. JLM BULLETIN hears that nearly 500 i ployees received their pink slips — a figt: which Metro denies, but one which can't 1 too far afield. two of them in Technicolor; 20th-Fox has six, half tinted; rniversal-International has five, all but one in color, while Republic, Paramount and Warners account for four each. Columbia will have only two films in front of the cameras this month, Allied Artists has one, and possibly another on tap, while RKO is without any production whatsoever, pending settlement of the current management hassles. Perilous Voyage" (Vera Ralston Scott Brady-David Brian), and "Woman They Almost Lynched" (John Lund-Brian Donlevy-Audrey Totter). 0 0 COLUMBIA'S WALD Will Supervise 22 Features 0 o Columbia continues its prowl for new I ry properties and new producers, in its fpped-up operations under the production • dance of Jerry Wald. Sources close to I top declare there will be a total of 61, Ml possibly even more, films produced tiler Columbia's releasing banner next year. I, this materializes, it will mean almost c ible the output thus far in 1952. •am Katzman is committed to 20 pictures annually for Columbia release: Stanley Kramer has a commitment for three (of which only one may materialize); six are due from Armand Schaefer and Gene Autry; Robert Cohn will have six, and Wald himself has agreed to supervise a total of 22 films. This does not take into account such independents as Irving Allen and Cubby Broccoli, Aubrey Wisberg and Jack Pollexfen, and Louis De Rochemont, whose distribution pacts call for a combined total of five additional films. Nor does it include the features to be turned out by newly contracted Columbia producers Robert Arthur, Lewis Rachmil and William Fadiman. 0 0 Republic president Herbert J. Yates is setting a new holiday production record for his company with the start of three topbudget features this month, in addition to a pair carrying over from November. "City That Never Sleeps" (Mala Powers), with John H. Auer doubling as director and associate producer, rolled December 8; "Sea of Lost Ships," a Joseph Kane producer-director chore, goes late this week, and "One for the Road" starts December 22, with William A. Seiter as producer-director. Those carrying over from November were: "A Julian Blaustein has dropped his supervisory duties at 20th Century-Fox, under terms of a new contract signed with the Westwood studio. Darryl Zanuck announced last week that Raymond A. Klune has been named to the post of executive producer, replacing Blaustein. Michael Abel is Rhine's assistant. Producers operating under Klune are: Robert Bassler, Wiliam Bloom, Otto Lang, Frank McCarthy, Frank Rosenberg and Stanley Rubin. Blaustein assumed his supervisory role 18 months ago, but asked to be relieved of this additional chore under the new contract to devote his full attention to producing. Among the Fox hits turned out by Blaustein are: "Mister 880," "Don't Bother to Knock," "Broken Arrow," "The Day the Earth Stood Still," and "Take Care of My Little Girl." O O With the start on December 15 of "It Happens Every Thursday" (Loretta YoungJohn Forsythe) and "Drifting" (Tony Curtis-Joanne Dru), Universal-International will have six pictures before the cameras— three of which started this month. "The Stand at Apache Bend" (Stephen McNally-Julia Adams) teed off the month's program on December 4. All of the films except the two starting the 15th are in Technicolor. 0 0 A deal appears to be near the inking stage for Joe Harris, one of the executives of Motion Pictures for Television, to finance a slate of 26 theatrical films for release by Lippert Productions. Total cost of the films would probably not exceed $800,000 per year. Production is scheduled to start around the first of the year, barring some last minute break-down in the negotiations. The Harris syndicate would own the product outright FILM BULLETIN is told, with Lippert merely handling the distribution. Following the pictures' run in theaters, Harris would turn them over to television. FILM BULLETIN December 15, 1952 Pag e 11