Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1954)

SehiH<( the ^cetteJ ^ilm Pt*c4ucticH STUDIO SIZ6-UPS ALLIED ARTISTS 1954 "Most Important" In AA History— Broidy ALTHOUGH NONE OF THE SOUND stages was occupied at Allied Artists at the turn of the New Year, big things appear to be in the offing for this company in 1954. President Steve Rroidy, in an exclusive interview with FILM BULLETIN, summed up the year's prospects as follows: "In recent months we have been blueprinting our 1954 production schedule, and we have done it with the knowledge that the coming year will be the most important in our corporation's history. We have ambitious plans, and these plans reflect the wide variety of motion picture entertainment we will produce durint; the coming next twelve months. "In addition to the employment of CincmaScope. some of our pictures will be made in three-dimension." Budgets on the new product will surpass those of any previous year, as the company invests more heavily in important story properties, and reaches out for "top name talent" with which to cast the stories. Final plans were completed earlier this month for joint Anglo-American production of "The Black Prince," to start in May, as AA's first CinemaScope feature. Walter Mirisch, executive producer with the company, will personally produce the film in England in Technicolor. Robert Clark, the managing director in charge of production for Associated British Pictures will handle all of the foreign arrangements. As of this writing, nothing has definitely been scheduled for January filming, although casting conferences are underway on a half dozen pictures which are expected to be launched within the first 60 daj-s of the New Year. COLUMBIA Columbia's Top Problem; Top Many Big Ones At Once COLUMBIA GREETS THE NEW year with quite a different outlook than it did in 1953, when the company was torn by internal strife; the quality of its pictures was, at best, only run-of-the-mill; and financial returns on releases were far from encouraging. Thanks largely to such boxoffice hits as Cxclu^ii}e ^BULLETIH Oeatute By JAY ALLEN "From Here To Eternity" and "Miss Sadie Thompson", this company is now in the enviable position of trying to reshuffle its 1954 releases, so as not to allow the year's earnings to go too high. "Caine Mutiny," for example, will be held back until the Fall, or, possibly, 1955, because it would be more profitable to release such a potential boxoffice bonanza in another fiscal period. On the production front, Columbia entered 1954 with one picture shooting, and three more slated to start within this month. At least three of the four can be considered important productions. However, the company's biggest pictures for the year won't start shooting until around the first of March when two CinemaScope features — "The Pleasure Is All Mine" (Betty Grable, Marge & Gower Champion) and "The Long Grey Line" (Tyrone Power), are scheduled to get underway. Directors on these two top line films will be H. C. Potter and John Ford, respectively. The one picture now before the cameras is "The Human I'east" ((ilenn Ford, Gloria Grahamc, Broderick Crawford) — Lewis J. Rachmil producer, I'rit/ Lang director. Other sound stages will be lighted later this month with the start of: "Gunslinger" (Dana .\ndrevvs. Donna Reed), Technicolor — Harry Joe Brown producer, .Al Werker director; "The Killer Wore .A I'.adgc" (Fred MacMurray, Phil Carey) — Jules Schcrmer producer, Richard Quine director; and "Pirates of Tripoli" (not yet cast) — Sam Katzman producer, \\ illiam Castle director. In Februar\-, P.ryan I'oy will launch "P. O, \\'.". The cast is currently being lined up. Among other big projects coming up later in the year are: "Joseph and His Brethren," for which the studio recently paid Louis B. Mayer $200,000 for a completed script; "The Shrike," Jose Ferrer's Broadway hit, which the star will personally produce, direct and play in; and "Mary Magdalene," a Biblical epic. A new 3-feature deal lias been closed between Columbia and Warwick Productions, which has completed three Alan Ladd starrers for this company. First two on the new pact will be CinemaScope productions: "Cockleshell Heroes", from the Reader's Digest yarn about a British Commandos unit, and "Prize of Gold", Max Catto's novel about the theft of gold bullion from the London-Berlin airlift. R. C. Sherriff will do the screenplay and Mark Robson will direct the latter. Both C'Scope films will be made abroad. METRO-COLDWYN-MAYER Schary's "Elastic" Policy May Up '54 Program To 24 DESPITE AN EARLIER ANNOUNCEment that ilGM's 1954 slate would account for only 18 films, Dore Schary is now talkin terms of as high as 24 pictures for the year. Speaking of his company's plans for 1954, Schary told FILM BULLETIN: "While the trend is toward fewer pictures, MGM's schedule will be kept elastic to meet any production situation or exhibitor demand that should arise. "Fewer pictures will mean that each will be designed for extended engagements, with important stories, all-star casts and in media that keeps in mind the requirements of every exhibitor, big or small. Some will be filmed in CinemaScope, all in wide screen with stereophonic sound." Asked what he thought would happen in the battle of the dimensions during '54, Schary said: "There can be no substitute for top stories, talent and showmanship. What was basically true during the past year will be true the coming year. A 'Julius Caesar' or a 'From Here to Eternity' in black and white and standard screen would be boxoffice attractions in any medium." He summed up the overall industry situation on this highly optimistic note: "The picture business is now working hard and will prove, as it has proven time and again in the past, that with the world's greatest pool of creative entertainment talents moving ahead with faith, courage, vision, and always with work, it's horizon is unlimited." A new musical, featuring a cavalcade of Cole Porter music, has just been added to the MGM slate for 1954, with Gene Kelly set to star and Arthur Freed to produce. Four pictures are shooting at the present time: "I'.eau Brummel" (Elizabeth Taylor, Stewart Granger), on location in England — Sam Zimbalist producing, Curtis Bernhardt directing, in color; "\ Bride For Seven Brothers" (Jane Powell, Howard Keel, Jeff Richards, Russ Tamblyn) in CinemaScope, Ansco Color — Jack Cunmiings producer, Stanley Donen director; "Brigadoon" (Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, Cyd Charisse, Elaine Stewart), CinemaScope, Ansco Color — Arthur Freed producer, Vincente Minnelli (Continued on Page 18) FILM BULLETIN January II, If54 Pag* 17