The Independent Film Journal (1955)

Disney Sets 10 For Release COMPO Ballots In Greatest Production Period Name Audience Poll Nominees Marking the greatest production activity in the history of the studio, Walt Disney Productions has announced 10 feature presentations for distribution in the next eighteen months. Distributed by Buena Vista Film Distributing Co., the films comprise the largest program the Disney subsidiary has handled since it was organized in 1953. The entire program is in color, with one production completed, four in production, three in preparation, and two re-releases. The completed feature, “The Littlest Outlaw,” stars Pedro Armendariz and Joseph Calleia. In production is “The Great Locomotive Chase,” a CinemaScope civil war drama with Fess Parker, “Secrets of Life,” fourth in the True-Life Adventure Series, “Perri,” a true life fantasy, and “Davy Crockett and the River Pirates.” In Preparation In preparation is “Light in the Forest,” in CinemaScope, “Toby Tyler,” and an untitled production based on Mary Jane Carr’s “Children of the Covered Wagon.” Scheduled for re-release is “Song of the South” and “Fantasia.” Holding their first national convention since their formation in July 1953, sales and exploitation personnel of Buena Vista Distribution Co. met at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif., this week. Conventioneers of the distributing arm of the Disney organization received the 1955-56 outline of the largest releasing program Buena Vista has ever handled. The distributing organization’s members traveled from seven principal districts of the U.S., from the home offices in N.Y. and from major cities throughout the nation. They observed several Disney productions in prog IRVING LUDWIG AL MARGOLIES ress, screened footage of forthcoming films and made a tour of Disneyland. Leading the contingent of convention delegates from the home office of Buena Vista in New York were Leo F. Samuels, president and general sales manager; Irving Ludwig, vice-president and domestic sales manager; Ned Clarke, vice president in charge of foreign sales ; Albert Margolies, ad-publicityexploitation director; Jesse Chinich, home office sales supervisor; James O’Gara, special sales rep.; Morton Meyerson, art director; Louis Gaudreau, Joseph Burke, Howard Hein, Robert Dorfman, Stephen Keller, Charles Raffaniello and Philip Raue. District sales supervisors of Buena Vista from various parts of the country included Warren K. Laird, southeast; Herbert Schaefer, northeast; Harris Dudelson, midwest; Leo Greenfield, east central ; Douglas Desch, southwest; Marvin Goldfarb, Rocky Mountain ; Wendell Bjorkman, Pacific Coast ; and Morton Magill, east. Metro Handling Foreign Sale Of AAWyler Pic Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer will handle most of the foreign distribution of the latest Allied Artists release, “The Friendly Persuasion,” William Wyler’s first production for the studio, it was announced jointly by Arthur M. Loew, president of Loew’s International Corp. and Steve Broidy, AA’s president. The Gary Cooper-Dorothy McGuire starrer will be distributed in the U. S., Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Argentina and the Caribbean area by AA. Metro, which has a large financial interest in the film, will handle the balance of the overseas market. Ad Cites ‘Oscar’s Girl’ “Oscar’s Girl Friend” is featured in the 55th COMPO ad on film subjects to appear in “Editor & Publisher.” Revealing a statuette of a woman reaching for a star, the ad asks editors to come up with a name for the “girl friend,” who will be awarded to the first Audience Awards winners. “Some day,” the ad states, “she will take her rightful place beside the world famous Oscar of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.” With final nominations made by the country’s theatre operators for COMPO’s first annual Audience Awards election already announced, exhibitors are taking a lead from the Academy Awards campaigns and preparing to re-book winning pictures and candidates during the generally slow preChristmas season. The winners of the election, which will be held from November 17 to 27 at a probable 8,000 theatres, will be announced at elaborate ceremonies in Hollywood approximately two weeks after the final ballots are cast. Thirty million ballots are expected to be cast. Announcing the final group of nominations, Elmer C. Rhoden, national chairman of the industry’s Audience Awards committee, said that the “most promising newcomer" category was of special interest to theatre men and film producers, as the vote in this category will reveal public preference regarding new personalities. Best Picture: “The Bridges of Toko-Ri,” “Battle Cry,” “Blackboard Jungle,” “Country Girl,” “Interrupted Melody,” “The Long Grey Line,” “Love Me or Leave Me,” “Love Is A Many Splendored Thing,” “A Man Called Peter,” “Mister Roberts,” “Not As A Stranger,” “Rear Window,” “Sabrina,” “Seven Year Itch,” “A Star Is Born,” “Strategic Air Command,” “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” “To Catch A Thief,” “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea,” “White Christmas.” Best Performance by an Actor: Marlon Brando, “Desiree;” Humphrey Bogart, “Left Hand of God;” James Cagney, “Love Me or Leave Me;” Gary Cooper, “Vera Cruz;” Bing Crosby, “ The Country Girl ;” James Dean, “East of Eden;” Tom Ewell, “Seven Year Itch ;” Henry Fonda, “Mister Roberts;” Glenn Ford, “Blackboard Jungle;” Glenn Ford, “Interrupted Melody;” William Holden, “Bridges of Toko-Ri;” William Holden, “Love Is A Many Splendored Thing;” Burt Lancaster, “Vera Cruz;” James Mason, “A Star is Born;” Tyrone Power, “The Long Grey Line;” James Stewart, “The Man from Laramie;” James Stewart, “Rear Window;” James Stewart. “Strategic Air Command;” Richard Todd, “A Man Called Peter;” Spencer Tracey, “A Bad Day at Black Rock.” Best Performance by an Actress: June Allyson, “A Woman’s World;” June Allyson, “The McConnell Story;” June Allyson, “Strategic Air Command;” Leslie Caron, “Daddy Long Legs;” Dorothy Dandridge, “Carmen Jones;” Doris Day, “Love Me or Leave Me;” Doris Day, “Young at Heart;” Olivia DeHaviland, “Not as a Stranger;” Ava Gardner, “The Barefoot Contessa ;” Judy Garland, “A Star is Born;” Susan Hayward, “Untamed;” Audrey Hepburn, “Sabrina;” Jennifer Jones, “Love Is A Many Splendored Thing;” Grace Kelly “Country Girl;” Grace Kelly, “To Catch a Thief;” Marilyn Monroe, “The Seven Year Itch;” Maureen O’Hara, “The Long Grey Line;” Eleanor Parker, “Interrupted Melody;” Jean Peters, “A Man Called Peter;” Elizabeth Taylor, “Last Time I Saw Paris.” Most Promising New Personality — Male: (Continued on page 28) 4 THE INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL— October 29, 1955