Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1947)

SIUOIO SIZE-UPS PRooycTioo sfCTion APRIL 14. 1947 Behind the Scenes of Film Production COLUMBIA 4 Minor League Features on Lot pOUR new poiductions are lensing here currently, all minor league stuff. They are: "Sweet Genevieve" (Jean Porter-James L.ydon), "Blondie In the Dough" (Penny Singleton-Arthur Lake), "Destiny" (John Beal-Trudy Marshall) and the "Son of Rusty" (Ted DonaldsonAnn Doran). Charles Vidor, Columbia's stormy petrel director, pulled off the "Man from Colorado" directorial stint a few weeks ago, shuttled back from Palm Springs vacationing to take over the assignment on "The Gallant Blade." At least he'll take over the assignment until the powers-that-be decide he would shuttle again. Another legal entanglement faced Columbia as the Shubert's suit tor $600,000 for alleged misappropriation of the Winter Garden name in "The Jolson Story" entered its second phase. Now before the New York Supreme Court, Columbia lawyers tag the suit "fantastic and ridiculous," offering evidence that other film companies used Winter Garden in sequences in previous films with no dire results (or suits). SMALL TO MAKE TWO Edward Small is set with this company for the production of two literary classics, Alexandre Dumas' "D'Artagan," and Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Black Arrow." First slated to roll the iTiiddle oi May. . . . .Ck)rnel Wilde returns to the studio which built him in "A Song To Remember" for the romantic comedy, "I Found A Dream." He'll co-star with Ginger Rogers, who will be doing her first stint on this lot. Frank MacDonald, director, who has solidly scored at Republic, has shifted to this filmery to take over reins on "Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back," second in studio's revived Drummond sei-ies "Assigned to Treasury" (Powell-Hasso) is still shooting in Havana. Location material brought in from China to strengthen authenticity of narcotic thriller. ual Pictures in J. Arthur Rank organization, visited Eagle-Lion and conferred on E-L releases of British productions. Eagle-Lion only recently premiered one of Launder's productions, "The Adventuress," starring Deborah Kerr. EAGLE-LION Fay Predicts Dip In Stars' Pa^ gRYAN FOY, Eagle-Lion production chief, predicts the time is close at hand when there will come a sweeping revision — mostly downward— in the salaries of screen players. Producers finally are awakening to the realization that too many stars are still ridmg high, financially, on names that no longer carry box-office, Foy claimed. "The agents are to blame for a situation that is keeping many r. thespian idle simply because they will not bring themselves around to telling their people the simple facts of professional life," said Foy. "Because Jane Doe or Joe Doakes reached the ?100,000-per-picture bracket five years ago, because their monickers listed in the title credits helped sell tickets, does not mean that they are still sufficiently potent as 'favorites' to carry a costly feature to success." Foy repeated his recently-expressed determination to build his own play roster as a means of bringing talent outlays down to what he calls a "sane" basis. SEEKS NEW FACES "We will sign new faces, gradually build them into boxoffice names, and let some of the present-day $100,000 crowd sit back and watch the parade that sooner or later will completely pass them by," he continued. y f While there are some players, Foy pointed out, who are worth their weight in gold because their names on marquees insure a return of the producer's investment, "there are too many who only think they are that good," he concluded. Frank Launder, who produces, directs and writes for Individ M-G-M No Recession Talk, Says Rodgers A GENERAL SHUFFLING of the M-OM sales force was followed by a national conference of sales, district and branch managers in New York. Distribution chief William F. Rodgers announcing experimental competitive bidding in about 50 situations, said: "As far as we know those involved have been satisfied and as a general rule, engagements have been satisfactory. It is still too early to predict what the net results will be, but it is doubtful ii the amount of money involved in engagements to date differs much from what we generally received out of the situations in dollars and cents." Rodgers warned against recession talk, and recommended better theater housekeeping and merchandising for drawing public in and keeping wolf away. "It will require intelligent advertising to make the public realize that, for a low cost, they are being brought the best products of the greatest writers and artists of the world," he said. ' Once we establish in the public mind confidence that the merchandise we have to offer is the greatest dollar value they can buy, we will not need to worry about empty seats." 25 RELEASES IN '47 Metro will release approximately 25 features this year, according to Rodgers, who listed "Cynthie" (James Craig-Lucille Bremer), "The Missouri Stoi-y" (Jan Johnson-Janet Leigh), "Living In a Big Way" (Gene Kelly-Marie McDonald), "Fiesta" (Esther Williams-John Carroll), "Song of Love" (Katherine Hepburn-Paul Henried), "A Woman of My Own" (Greer Garson-Richard Hart), "This Time for Keeps" (Esther Williams-Lauretz Melchior), "The Birds and The Bees" (Jeanette MacDonald-Jose Iturbi), for release before end of fall. Possible release scheduled for "The Hucksters"(Clark Gable-Deborah Kerr) and "Green Dolphin Street" (Lana Turner-Van Heflin). Two new features and one reissue will be released during May. "High Barbaree" and "Undercover Maisie" are the new ones; "The Great Waltz," the oldie. No new production on this lot but "Good News" (Technicolor) — (June Allyson-Peter Lawford) and "The Pirate" (Judy GarlandGene Kelly) — Technicolor are still shooting. MONOGRAM 4 Features Rolling 'T'HE MONOGRAM lot is busy with one new starter, "The Hunt ed" (Belita-Preston Foster), an AA picture, and three others continuing in production: "Kilroy Was Here" (Jackie CooperJackie Coogan), "High Tide" (Lee Tracy-Don Castle) and "Song ef Wasteland" (Jimmy Wakely-Lee (Lasses) White). With "Gun Crazy" scheduled to go before the cameras in late April, the program of six million dollar features for Allied Artists Productions is nearly completed. Adela Rogers St. John, one of the screen's topnotch writers, has been borrowed from MGM by Allied Artists to do the screenplay of "Smart Woman," which will star Contance Bennett, Brian Aherne and Barry Sullivan. She reports to the studio this week. Nearly two years have passed since local censors refused to allow the exhibition of "Dillinger" in Chicago. Last weelc, first showings there were set at the Oriental and Biograph theaters for APRIL 14, 1947 21