Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1955)

Studio Size-ups INSIDE STORY OF PRODUCTION Cxctu^e BULLETIN Oeatute ALLIED ARTISTS Studio Readied for Start Of Wyler's First AA Film After finishing two features during the past week, Allied Artists goes dark for a while, then will concentrate its production facilities on the first contribution to its schedule from produce-director William Wyler — "Fearful Persuasion" (Gary Cooper, Dorothy McGuire, Marjorie Main, Robert Middleton). The two completed were "Shack Up On 101" (Terry Moore, Frank Lovejoy, Keenan Wynn) and "Calculated Risk (Bill Elliott, Beverly Garland, Tom Drake). The former went through a series of title changes, and probably will get a new final one, as various protests about the gutter meaning of the pharse "shack up" come in. One Los Angeles paper, the staid Times, even refused to use the title in its columns. The picture had more trouble when Terry Moore, on loan-out from 20th-Fox, originally refused to report for her role and was threatened with suspension. She finally showed up, however. "Calculated Risk" is a modern melodrama, a change of pace for both Bill Elliott and producer Ben Schwalb. The former is much better known as a western star than a straight dramatic thespian, and Schwalb is familiar as the producer of the Bowery Boys comedies at Allied Artists. The Wyler picture, "Fearful Persuasion", for a while was known as "Mr. Birdwell Goes to Battle", but there were too many gags about the picture being the biography of a publicist named Russell Birdwell. Allied Artists turned back to the original title of the Jessamyn West novel. Upcoming soon on the Allied Artists slate will be: "The Come On" (Barry Sullivan), a Lindsley Parsons melodrama and "Screaming Eagles", war story of a paratrooper division, to be made by the independent producers Sam Bischoff and Dave Diamond. COLUMBIA Four Top-Budget Features Now Shooting; More Slated As far as current production is concerned, Columbia is in great shape. Four top-budget pictures are in work, and there has been scheduled a continuing flow of production to keep the top crews of the company on the payroll. The four big ones are "Tambourine," "The Eddy Duchin Story," "Jubal Troop" and "The Way We Are." "Tambourine" (Jane Russell), a creation of Howard Welsch and Harry Tatleman, is a story of gypsies, in Technicolor and CinemaScope. Nicholas Ray is directing this film. "Jubal Troop" (Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine, Rod Steiger), a property long held by the late producer-director Sam Wood, is being made on location at Jackson Hole, Wyo., in Technicolor and CinemaScope by producer William Fadiman and director Delmer Daves. Columbia executives are high on "The Eddy Duchin Story" (Tyrone Power, Kim Novak), drama with music about the noted band leader. Mindful of what Universal-International grossed with "The Glenn Miller Story", executive producer Jerry Wald has taken the reins himself on this one, and borrowed George Sidney, who has rung up quite a directorial achievement list at MGM, to guide it. The latest to stat on the lot, "The Way We Are" (Joan Crawford), is being made under the banner of William Goetz, whose first contribution to Columbia was "The Man From Laramie". Robert Aldrich, who put the package together, is directing the film, and he and Miss Crawford have percentages of the enterprise. Overseas, Columbia is having two releases made for it by Cubby Broccoli and Irving Allen's Warwick Pictures — "The Gamma People" (Paul Douglas, Eva Bartok), a science-fiction item filming in Austria, and "Safari" (Victor Mature, Janet Leigh), in Technicolor and CinemaScope, shooting in London after an African location. Julian Blaustein and Daniel Taradash have associated themselves in a new company, Phoenix Productions, moved over to the Columbia lot and acquired "The Library," which will have as its cast toppers Bette Davis and Kim Hunter. The property has quite a history, having been acquired by the old Stanley Kramer company when Kramer was releasing through Columbia. When the splitup came, "The Library" remained with Columbia. Kramer had intended to star Mary Pickford, but she decided not to come out of retirement. Thus the role now falls to another First Lady of the Screen — Bette Davis. The property, from all reports, is a controversial one, dealing with so-called "book-burning". Taradash, who did that great script on "From Here to Eternity," bows as a director on this. Scheduled also to roll soon at Columbia are: "The Harder They Fall," (Humphrey Bogart), Philip Yordan producing and Mark Robson directing; "Flying Saucers," which is just what the name applies, with Charles Schneer producing and Fred Sears directing; "Solid Gold Cadillac," from the New York play, with Fred Kohlmar producing; "Nightfall," Ted Richmond producing under the Copa Productions banner; "Blackjack Ketchum, Desperado," a Sam Katzman production, and a third version of the western classic "The Mine with the Iron Door," which Wallace MacDonald will produce. It was previously made in 1924 and in 1936. Going for Columbia soon overseas will be "Arms and the Man," to be made by Sir Alexander Korda's Emperor Films, Ltd., in London, with Alec Guinness, Claire Bloom and Laurence Harvey. Peter Glenville will director. METRO-COLDWYN-MAYER Plenty of Variety in Six At Metro Rolling and Readied There is no lack of variety in the product shooting and in preparation here at the present time. Now in production: "The Last Hunt" (Robert Taylor, Stewart Granger, Lloyd Nolan, Debra Paget), CinemaScopecolor outdoor drama with socialogical implications — Dore Schary producer, Richard Brooks director; "Meet Me In Las Vegas" (Dan Dailey, Cyd Charisse), a musical being produced by Joe Pasternak, directed by Roy Rowland; "Tribute To A Bad Man" (James Cagney), a CinemaScopic western — Sam Zimbalist producer, Robert Wise director. Three more features due to start rolling within the next few weeks also are of dissimilar stripe. This trio: "Gaby" (Leslie Caron, John Kerr), an ethereal romance, to be produced by Edwin H. Knopf, Jr., directed by Curtis Bernhart; "Fearful Decision" (Glenn Ford, Donna Reed), from the television play, pits the decision of a father against his kidnapped son's life — Nicholas Nayfack producer, Alex Segal director; Ferenc Molnar's classic, "The Swan" (Grace Kelly, Louis Jourdan, Brian Aherne), which Dore Schary will personally produce, withCharles Vidor directing. Yon can look for a change in the title of "The Swan", which, for all its fame, would be rejected by exhibitors as a drug on the marquee. (Continued on Page 20) Page 18 Film BULLETIN September 5, 1955