The Independent Film Journal (1955)

Schary Outlines Metro Properties About Columbia's Starlets / 'll fcj f Is0 Big plans for this roster of handsome new personalities have been announced by Columbia Pictures. Proclaimed as "candidates for stardom" are these actors and actresses, some with little experience and others who are already well known to the country's movie fans. Top, 1 to r, with some of the films they appear in: Kerwin Matthews, "Five Against the House"; Kathryn Grant, "Cell 2455, Death Row"; Adelle August, "Five Against the House"; Jena Mason; Jack Lemmon, "My Sister Eileen"; center, 1 to r: Robert Francis, "They Rode West"; Dianna Foster, "The Violent Men"; Betsy Palmer, "The Long Gray Line"; May Wynn, "The Violent Men"; Dick York, "My Sister Eileen," "The Gentle Wolfhound"; bottom, 1 to r: Brian Keith, "The Violent Men"; Kim Novak, "Five Against the House"; Lucy Marlow, "My Sister Eileen"; Connie Towers; Bill Leslie, "The Queen Bee." ( Continued f rom, page 8) “Kismet,” musical hit, starring Howard Keel, Ann Blyth, Dolores Gray and Vic Damone, directed by Vincente Minnelli, produced by Arthur Freed, and written by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis. “I’ll Cry Tomorrow,” starring Susan Hayward, directed by Daniel Mann, produced by Lawrence Weingarten, and being written by Jay Richard Kennedy. “Jeremy Rodock,” outdoor story, starring Spencer Tracy, directed by Robert Wise, produced by Sam Zimbalist and written by Michael Blankfort. Also scheduled for production in June is “Forever Darling,” starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, directed by Alexander Hally, produced by Desilu, and written by Helen Deutsch. Among the books planned for production are “Something of Value,” Robert Ruark’s new novel of Africa, to star Grace Kelly, written and directed by Richard Brooks, and produced by Pandro S. Berman. “Robin Hood,” musical version starring Howard Keel and Jane Powell, to be directed by Stanley Donen, produced by Jack Cummings and will be written by Dorothy Kingsley. “Ben Hur,” to be directed by Sidney Franklin, produced by Sam Zimbalist and written by Karl Tunberg. “The Female,” starring Ava Gardner, to be directed by George Cukor, produced by Pandro S. Berman, and written by John Lee Mahin. “Mary Anne,” starring Elizabeth Taylor, to be produced by John Houseman and written by Lenore Coffee. To be filmed in coming months are “The Last Hunt,” action novel of the West, starring Robert Taylor, Stewart Granger and Russ Tamblyn, written and directed by Richard Brooks. “Lust for Life,” adapted from Irving Stone’s biography of the great Dutch painter, Vincent van Gogh, starring Kirk Douglas, to be directed by Vincente Minnelli, produced by John Houseman and written by Norman Corwin. “The Tender Trap,” stage hit, starring Frank Sinatra, to be produced by Lawrence Weingarten, and written by Julius J. Epstein. “The Barretts of .Wimpole Street,” to be directed by Sidney Franklin, produced by Sam Zimalist, and written by John Dighton. “The Teahouse of the August Moon,” to be produced by Jack Cummings and written by John Patrick. “All Our Yesterdays,” the dramatic original starring James Cagney, to be produced by Jules Schermer, and written by Dorothy Kingsley. “Gaby,” story against the background of the ballet, starring Leslie Caron and Taina Elg, to be produced by Edwin H. Knopf, and written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. “Week-end at Las Vegas,” a musical, to be produced by Joe Pasternak, and written by Isobel Lennart. Commenting on forthcoming productions of specialized interest, Schary said, “In today’s market, there is room for challenging pictures of contemporary background. ‘Blackboard Jungle,’ which is currently doing record business, is another affirmation of the fact. “The film we ai’e now’ making, ‘Trial,’ will undoubtedly prove equally powerful and profitable. “Two other pictures, scheduled for immediate production, that fit into this category are ‘Fearful Decision’ and ‘Court Martial.’ ” “Fearful Decision” is the sto-ry of a father’s gamble to save a kidnapped son, to be produced by Nichalos Nayfack, and written by Cyril Hume and Richard Maibaum. “Court Martial,” to star Glenn Ford, is a story of a hero of Korea, captured and on his return to the United States tried for collaboration and treason, to be produced by Arthur Loew, Jr., and written by Stewart Stern. Other novels and biographies included “Raintree County,” to be produced by David Lewis and written by Millard Kaufman; “Charlemagne,” to be produced by Charles Schnee; “The Wilder Shores of Love,” starring Elizabeth Taylor, to be produced by Sam Zimbalist and be written by Karl Tunberg, and “The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci,” to be produced by Charles Schnee. Also “The Power and the Prize,” to be produced by Nicholas Nayfack; “Running of the Tide,” to be produced by Edwin H. Knopf and written by Christopher Knopf; “The Big Sin,” to be produced by Nicholas Nayfack, to be written by Don Mankiewicz, and “Raquel,” to be produced by Lawrence Weingarten and written by Sonya Levien. Also, “Somebody Up There Likes Me,” to be produced by Charles Schnee and written by Ernest Lehman; “Hans Brinker” or “The Silver Skates,” to ( Continued on page 27) During an era w’lien it is too often proclaimed that Hollywood has not enough top box office stars, Columbia Pictures looms as one major producing company determined and able to do something about it. They have taken newcomers like Dianne Foster and Robert Francis and given them leads in important pictures. Both Miss Foster and Francis were the only star names in “The Bamboo Prison,” a recent Columbia release, along with another star the studio is building, Brian Keith. Anne Bancroft, another Columbia contract player, has the femme lead in “Last Frontier,” an important film in color by Technicolor, in which she co-stars with Victor Mature, Guy Madison, Robert Preston and James Whitmore. Adelle August, who has been groomed carefully by the studio and who has already attracted attention in “Women’s Prison,” is playing her first lead in “Renegade Roundup,” opposite Bill Williams and Tex Ritter. Both Betsy Palmer and Lucy Marlow, two other young ladies that the studio, has high hopes for have top roles in “Queen Bee,” which stars Joan Crawford, Barry Sullivan and John Ireland. Jack Lemmon, whom the studio started as the male lead opposite Judy Holliday in his first picture at the studio, has already become a box office star, as shown by “Phfft,” now in release, and the fact, that Warner Brothers borrowed him for a starring role in “Mr. Roberts.” Kathryn Grant was given a big role in “Cell 2455, Death Row, 2 and the studio plans to give her bigger roles. William Leslie, who appeared in “The Long Gray Line,” has a key role in “Bring Your Smile Along,” a Frankie Laine starrer, in which Connie Towers, one of the studio’s new leading ladies, makes her screen debut opjfosite Keefe Brasselle and Laine. Kerwin Mathews, Kim Novak get their biggest breaks in “Five Against The House,” in which they are co-starred with Guy Madison and Brian Keith, who has attracted a large following already. May Wynn, who played a starring role in “The Caine Mutiny,” and also “The Violent Men,” is being groomed for other starringroles. Richard York, who is in the leadingman ranks, gets his biggest role in “Sgt. O’Reilly,” in which Phil Carey and Aldo Ray, two stars that Columbia built into stardon a few years back, play the leads in. Columbia’s gamble on new faces have always seemed to pay off in the past with such names as Frankie Laine, Rita Hayworth, Judy Holliday, Glenn Ford, George Montgomery and many others, owing their star status to the fact, that Columbia Studios believe that “stars are not born, they are made.” Already in release “Cell 2455, Death Row,” which stars William Campbell, a newcomer, and Robert Campbell, his brother, another newcomer, is doing good business and Campbell has already attracted considerable attention, so much so that Batjac is starring him in another picture, “The Lock and Key.” Simple logic reemphasizes the fact, that the stars of today, were newcomers yesterday. The newcomers today, at least some of them, will be the stars of tomorrow. However simple this all sounds, it still takes courage for a studio to use new faces in big pictures, especially • leads. But then sometimes, one picture makes a star! Sometimes, that is. — R.B. THE INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL— April 30. 1955 25