Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1953)

Hctliju>ce4 Notebook STAR BRIGHT ANNA MARIA ALBERGHETTI A veteran movie columnist, after the preview of "The Stars Are Singing", remarked: "We finally have another Deanna Durbin!" She was referring to Anna Maria Alberghetti, Paramount's 16-year-old Italian import, who, two years ago, won the hearts of the New York critics in her debut at Carnegie Hall. Actually, the teen-aged singer had appeared in two previous Hollywood movies, but it was not until "The Stars Are Singing" that Paramount was able to come up with a proper show-case for displaying her talent. Whether she will achieve the heights reached by Miss Durbin some years ago remains to be seen. Hut no one will deny that a brilliant new star has appeared in the Hollywood heavens. Anna Maria was born to music. Her father, Daniele Albcrghetti — who, incidentally, has been her only voice teacher — was prominent throughout Italy as a director of the famed music conservatory in Milan. Her mother was a well-known concert pianist, in her own right. She made her concert debut in her home town of Pesaro, in northern Italy, when she was 12 years old. In the year that followed she made a concert tour of Italy, Scandanavia and Spain, and won the continent's acclaim as the most exciting new prodigy in many years. Miss Alberghetti, with her entire family, came to America in 1950, and in that same year she made her Carnegie Hall debut. Following that, she appeared with the New York Philharmonic Society at Lewisohn Stadium in New York, with the Philadelphia Symphony at Robin Hood Dell, and on eastern television shows. Her next assignment is "Summer Song," a Technicolor production to be filmed in the national parks of Utah and Arizona. Heard in Hdllywddd Walt Disney is reissuing 90 cartoon shorts, in 6-picture packages to fill out the lower half of double bills . . . Is L. B. Mayer trying to woo his son-in-law, Bill Goetz, away from U-l? Wanti him to head up production for Cinerama . . . Rogers and Hammerstein will produce "Oklahome," starting in July, for Joseph Schenck and Mike Todd's new Magna Theatre Corp. Their wide-screen process is Cinerama with one projector . . . Producer Maurice Duke launches "Prisons of Love," Russ Colombo biopic in July, Perry Como starring . . . Way neFe 1 1 ows Productions will film "Mau Mau" in Africa, for Warner release . . . Walt Disney is making his TV bow, but only as a production consultant of a series of telepix being filmed by Zorro Productions, renting space on the Disney lot. Despite Sarnoff's denials, rumors persist that one of the major studios is planning a wedding with NBC-RCA . . . Warwick Productions has taken over "Lochinvar" from Columbia, and will produce it for Columbia release . . . "I, the Jury," which rolls today, is the initial film in Dunning 3D, black and white process, United Artists will release . . . Harry Horner drew a seven-year director's pact at Fox, calling for two pix per annum . . . Paramount will suffer a mighty big loss as a result of Vivien Leigh's breakdown. Liz Taylor replaced the ailing Miss Leigh in "Elephant Walk" . . . Keefe Braselle drew a 7-year non-exclusive pact at Warners, as a result of his fine thesping in the Eddie Cantor biopic. There are now 12 feature productions at work in wide-screen and 3D . . . Fox has a I 2-picture commitment with Dr. Herbert T. Kalmus, for Technicolor processing on all scheduled CinemaScope productions . . . The Ponti & De Laurentis 3D production of "Odyssey" (Kirk Douglas) rolls in Rome, this month, in two versions — 3D Gaevert-color and 2D Technicolor . . . Fanchon and Marco's Hollywood Paramount will show only 3D feature in the future. Owners of small Los Angeles theatres got a stiff jolt, last week, when the IATSE Projectionists' Local 150 voted to require two men in the booth when two projectors are used simultaneously for projection of 3D films John Rawlins will produce a series of films for UA release, starting with "Shark River," rolling April 15 . . . Gene Nelson ankled Warner Brothers to freelance . . . Evelyn Keyes will star for Sam Spiegel in Horizon Pictures' "Love Nothing," to be made in Hollywood, this fall . . . Richard Jaeckel took over the second male lead in Republic's "Sea of Lost Ships" (John Derek-Wanda Hendrix), which rolled April I. MGM is shooting "Rope's End" in 3D, 2D and CinemaScope. Now, that's playing it safe! . . . "Wings of the Hawk" (Van Heflin-Julia Adams) rolled last week, as U-I's second feature in 3D . . . Marlon Brando will star in Darryl Zanuck's 1953 personal production, "The Egyptian," rolling in October — in CinemaScope, natch . . . Gross to date on C. B. DeMille's "Greatest Show on Earth" is $18,000,000. Looks like DeMille's finally going to make the grade in Hollywood . . . Nat Holt produces "Flight to Tangiers" (Joan Fontaine-Jack Palance) for Paramount, starting May 18 . . . Warners is staging an around-the-clock premiere for "House of Wax," at the Warner L. A. theatre, starting with a midnight spook show on April 17. "Knock On Any Wood," Danny Kaye inde for Paramount release, starts this summer, in 3D and wide-screen process . . . Another group of eastern industrialists is after Howard Hughes' RKO stock . . . Joan Crawford sings and dances in MGM's "Why Should I Cry," just like she did when she was the queen of the lot a-way back when . . . Irving Berlin has called off his projected 3-picture deal with Fox . . . Warners have been able to obtain only 12 WarnerPhonic sound systems, and will have to move them from theatre to theatre, while "House of Wax" plays the circuit . . . Bryan Foy, who recently ankled Warners, is prepping a 3D, Natural Vision inde, "The Mad Magician". REPORT FROM THE STUDIOS (Continued from Page 17) travel on behalf of "Desert Legion," Mari Blanchard for "Abbott and Costelio Go to Mars," and Ronald Reagan and Ruth Hampton will hit the road to tub-thump for "Law and ( )rder". 0 0 Robert I.. Lippert, Jr., is making his debut in independent film production with a series of action films to be released through his father's Lippert Productions Company. His first project will be "The Great Jesse James Raid," to be made in \nscoColor. Casting is now underway, preparatory to a mid-April start. Reginald LeBorg will direct. Jose Ferrer has put his signature on a pact with C olumbia to co-star with La Hayworth in "Miss Sadie Thompson", adapted from Somerset Maugham's famous play "Rain". Aldo Ray also will be in the cast. It will be produced in 3D and Technicolor, and much of the shooting will take place on location in Hawaii. Jerry Wald will produce it personally; Curtis Bernhardt will direct. CORRECTION In the FILM BULLETIN issue of March 23rd, "The Boy From Oklahoma" was listed incorrectly as a 3D Natural Vision production. Is is a 2D production in Wa rn erColor. Page 18 FILM BULLETIN April 4, 1953