Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1955)

Studio Size-ups (Continued from Page 18) PARAMOUNT 'Commandments' Near Wind-up Clearing Way For Other Films Studio facilities here are still tied up for the most part by C. B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments," but two other features are filming on the lot and one rolling in Puerto Rico. The DeMille spectacle which has been shooting for about a half-year on the Paramount lot, in addition to having a lengthy location trek, will probably wind one of these weeks, thus permitting the lot to get back to a semblance of normalcy. The picture has been a great break for thousands of actors and extras, as well as the owners of such assorted animals as camels, donkeys and other livestock associated with biblical days. After kicking around various titles for the motion picture debut of television's George Gobel, Paramount came up with "The Birds and the Bees" for its remake of "The Lady Eve". Gobel, Mitzi Gaynor and David Niven are co-starred in this Paul Jones production which Norman Taurog is directing. It will give TV fans of Gobel a chance to see him in Technicolor, which hasn't invaded the home-screen channels yet. The picture is being made under the aegis of Gomalco Productions, Gobel's own company, indicating that the comic has quite a hunk of the film, and will be amenable to aiding in the exploitaiton of same. The studio had trouble with another title when it bought the book "The Magnificent Bastards," by Lucy Herndon Crockett, and so now is calling the William PerlbergGeorge Seaton production "The Proud and Profane." It is rolling in Puerto Rico with William Holden, Deborah Kerr and Dewey Martin starred. Producer-director Edward Dmytryk, Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner, Barbara Darrow, Richard Arlen, William Demarest have been dispatched to the Swiss Alps for the making of "The Mountain," which will be shot in Technicolor and Vista Vision. Also in work abroad is "War and Peace," the Ponti-de Laurentiis production being directed by King Vidor. Anita Ekberg planed out last week to replace the ailing Arlene Dahl, stricken here with secondary anemia, according to doctors. Miss Ekberg is joining Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Mel Ferrer, Milly Vitale and others in the cast of the huge enterprise. Only picture definitely set to go at the Paramount home lot during September is "That Certain Feeling," which Norman Panama and Melvin Frank will produce and direct. REPUBLIC 'Maverick Queen' Gets New Anamorphic Process, Top Cast Concurrently with the announcement of the signing of three important personalities for "The Maverick Queen", there came from Republic the disclosure that it would introduce its own anamorphic photographic system, Cinepanoramic, with that picture. Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan and Scott Brady were signed for the top roles. No details of the process were given, except that it was "developed in the department of Dan Bloomberg, studio director of research and engineering, under the personal supervision of Herbert J. Yates, Republic president." The Republic system is an adaptation of a French system, and is compatible to the American variable expander projection lenses such as put out by Ultra-Panatar (Panavision) and Superscope. Herbert J. Yates was one of the strongest holdouts against the wide-screen trend of two years ago. He refused to accept the anamorphic process as an advancement in filming technique, but apparently has Robert Taylor, trigger-happy buffalo hunter, draws on fallen Lloyd Nolan after their wagon is cracked up crossing a stream. Restraining Taylor is Stewart Granger, while Russ Tamblyn looks on. "THE LAST HUNT" I M-G-M ) CinemaScope & Eastman Color For the first time on the screen, a herd of 1 000 buffalo will be seen stampeding for a gigantic scene in MGM's big outdoor action drama "The Last Hunt," in CinemaScope and Eastman Color. Although filmed mostly on location in the Black Hills of South Dakota, home of the largest buffalo herd in the United States, the story deals quite intimately with the lives of its principal characters, played by Robert Taylor, Stewart Granger, Lloyd Nolan, Debra Paget, Russ Tamblyn, Constance Ford. Taken from the book of the same name, written by Milton tort, who won the Houghton-Mifflin Literary Fellowship in 1954 for it, "The Last Hunt" is also a drama of the sociological impact on the lives of the Plains Indians when the white men ruthlessly exterminate the buffalo for their hides in the 1880's. This is a personal production of MGM studio head Dore Senary and to direct it, he chose Richard Brooks, director of "Blackboard Jungle." Brooks also wrote the screenplay. The action is bold and dramatic, with Taylor playing a ruthless buffalo hunter and partner of Granger, who begins to regret the slaughter. When a band of Sioux steals their mules, Taylor follows them and slays them all, with the exception of a young girl, played by Miss Paget, and her baby. He brings them back to his camp to live with him. Further conflict between him and Granger comes when Granger defends the girl from Taylor's abuse. Granger helps the girl to flee back to her people and is appalled at the misery and starvation caused on the reservation by the killing off of the buffalo. The climax comes when he and the girl drive 20 head of cattle, obtained from the Army, to the Indians to alleviate their suffering. A giant herd of 1,000 buffalo were rounded up for the spectacular stampede scene in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Page 20 film BULLETIN September 5, 1955