Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1954)

STUDIO SIZ6-UPS {Continued jrom Page 10) way within the next week to ten days on the CinemaScope feature, "Bride Wore Pajamas" (Vanessa Brown), for Fox release. Robert Franklyn will produce the Technicolor comedy. UNITED ARTISTS Xuckoo' to Introduce Another New Screen Process UNITED ARTISTS PROMISES TO have one of the year's top exploitable releases in the Ilya Lopert-David Dean production of "Time of the Cuckoo," which will start filming in May, with Katharine Hepburn starred. The picture, to be based on the Arthur Laurents Broadway play, will make the initial use of a new photographic process called Mobilia, which is reputed to utilize different picture sizes and aspect ratios on the same film. We are seeking more details on this. "Time of the Cuckoo" is to be filmed on location in Venice, Italy, with Lopert producing and Lean directing. The same team is set to make a musical version of "Beauty and the Beast" for UA release later in the year. It will be based on a screenplay by S. N. Behrman and will be filmed on location in Austria. UA toppers William Heineman and Max Youngstein have been in Hollywood since the middle of the month conferring with inde producers who have pictures coming up for United Artists release. The conferences will cover the following pictures: "Bronco Apache" and "Vera Cruz," Harold Hecht and Burt Lancaster productions; "New York Confidential," and "Wicked Woman," made by Clarence Greene and Russell Rouse; "Long Wait" produced by Victor Saville; "Beachhead" and "Yellow Tomahawk," produced by Aubrey Schenck and Howard Koch; Chester Erskine's "Witness to Murder", and Edward Small's "Lone Gun," "Camel's West," "Overland Pacific," and "Khyber Pass". While here, they closed a deal to release Reginald Le Borg's "The White Orchid" (Peggy Castle, William Lundigan), which rolls next month in Mexico, in Eastman Color. Most recent feature completed for UA was Lancastcr-Hecht's "Bronco Apache" (Burt Lancaster, Jean Peters). Technicolor, which Robert Aldrich directed. UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL More Producers, Directors Signed; 3 Features Rolling I' X 1 \ ■ I-. R S . \ L1 X T i : R X A T I ( ^ N A I, H A S been corralling new producer and director talent to line up it 19.S4 program of 34 productions. Howard Pine, son of Bill Pine and, for the past two years production manager for Paramount's Pine-Thomas unit, boosted the L^-I producer roster nine, signing a long-term contract. Others in that category are: William Alland, Robert Arthur, Howard Christie, Albert J. Cohen, Ross Hunter, Ted Richmond, Aaron Rosenberg and Stanley Rubin. Probably the busiest of the lot will be Rosenberg, who has been assigned nine films on the year's slate. First of his projects will be "The Galileans," a Biblical story based on a novel by Frank J. Slaughter, probably to be filmed in CinemaScope & Technicolor. Laslo Benedek and Richard Carlson have been added to the director ranks. Benedek will direct "Bengal Rifles" (Rock Hudson, .•\rlene Dahl), which rolls this week — Ted Richmond producing, in Technicolor. Carlson is scheduled to take on his first megging assignment on "Shadow Valley", which will roll around mid-year. Arthur Lubin also returns to the U-I lot next month to direct another in the "Francis" series, titled "Francis Joins the WAC's" (Donald O'Connor). Ted Richmond again will produce. Walter Lantz is doing some expanding in the shorts department, adding new members to his staff and new cartoon characters to his menagerie for an increased output during the year. Tex Avery has been appointed executive producer and Mike Maltese moves in as story editor. Three pictures are shooting on the lot at the present time: "The Black Shield of Falsworth" (Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh), CinemaScope & Technicolor — Robert Arthur producer, Rudolph Mate director; "Sign of the Pagan" (Ludmilla Tscherina, Jeff Chandler), CinemaScope & Technicolor — Albert J. Cohen producer, Douglas Sirk director; and "Dawn at Socorro" (Rory Calhoun, Piper Laurie, David Brian), Technicolor — William Alland producer, George Sherman director. WARNER BROTHERS One Track Sound on WB Cinemascopes; 'Helen' to Go LIKE MGM, WARNER BROS. HAS served notice that its CinemaScope features will be made available with single sound track, as well as track magnetic stereophonic sound. "The Command" (Guy Madison) is WB's first CinemaScope release. Three features are before the Warner cameras at the present time, although the editing department is working at capacity with seven films being scissored. Shooting are: "A Star Is Born" (Judy Garland, James Mason), CinemaScope & Technicolor — Sid Luft producer, George Cukor director — now Hearing its 100th day of shooting; "Lucky Me" (Doris Day. Robert Cummings, Phil .Silvers, Nancy Walker, Flddie Foy, Jr.), CinemaScope & WarnerColor — Henry I'.lanke producer, Jack Donohue director; and "The Talisman" (Virginia Mayo, Rex Harrison, George Sanders — Henry Blanke producer, David Butler director. Director-producer Mervyn LcRoy has returned to the Warner lot, where he started his picture career almost 25 years ago, and he has been handed a group of top literary properties — both novels and plays — from which to select his first picture. He is rumored to be receiving a percentage of the profits on all pictures which he makes under his new long-term pact. The next big production scheduled to roll is "Helen of Troy," to be filmed on location in Italy — starting in mid-February. No casting has been announced as yet, although Robert Wise is set to direct. There has been some talk that Mervyn LeRoy may take over as producer of "Helen". INDEPENDENTS A NEW TREND SEEMS TO BE shaping up for Hollywood's host of independent producers, whereby financing will be much easier to obtain during 1954 than it was last year. Several indies with whom FILM BULLETIN'S Hollywood stafif has been talking, all declare that new sources of revenue are beginning to open up — albeit the investors are still more cautious than they were in the lush days of the '40's. The Security-First National Bank of Los Angeles, which almost completely dropped out of the field of motion picture financing, last year, is again talking deals with established producers. The Pathe Laboratories also is increasing its revolving fund for inde financing. United Artists and Republic both are in a position to offer greater financial assistance than in the past. In addition, several new eastern sources are being tapped for the first time in nearly five years. So it isn't too surprising that new independents continue to spring up almost everv week. Moreover, most of the projects of these new companies are far more ambitious than any ever before undertaken in the inde field. Dena Productions, headed by Norman Panama, Mel Frank and Danny Kaye, is planning one picture per year, starting next summer with a comedy of the medieval era. to star Kaye. Another deal was just closed between actor Robert Cummings, directo;Frank Tashlin and writer Duncan Underbill to produce "Horseman in the Sky," a biopic of the late Tommy Hitchcock. It will be made in the early spring, with the X'ew York banking firm of Lehman Bros., providing part of the film's $2,000,000 budget. Shelley Winters and Jack Palance will star and participate in the film version of "So This Is Love," a current best-selling pocketbook novel by Sam Ross. Richard Carlson is yet another actor entering the inde production field with "Love By Force," in which he will co-star with Barbara Stanwyck. Wesley I^arry and Edward L. Alperson start production this week on the first of their six-picture slate, under terms of a recent pact with Color Corp. of America. The first picture is an untitled western starring Bill Williams and Tim Holt. Howard Welsch is also about ready to start filming his second feature starring Jean Simmons, although it. also, has not yet been titled. Writer-director Walter Doniger has been signed to direct "The Sea Is A Woman," which Tom Gries will produce for Allan Howling Productions, starting within the ne.xt two nionths, Page 12 FILM BULLETIN January 25. 1954