The Independent Film Journal (1954)

Columbia's 19 -Picture Line -Up Called One Of Firm s Strongest jGoldenson Views Broader European !Film Sales Here Pictures produced in Europe could get [comprehensive distribution in the U.S. if the [story content was right and well-known Hol¬ lywood stars were used, stated Leonard Gol[denson, AB-PT president, upon his return from a five-week European visit to study the product situation over there. While GoldenEon did not return with any signed contracts, he did bring back encouraging product news, he reported. European producers are eager to turn out product for the American market, lie re| ported, and he convinced some of them to visit the IT.S. to study the American market. He noted that Scandinavian producers seemed especially desirous of producing pic¬ tures for consumption by an American mar¬ ket. Adjust Tempo These European film people must learn to adjust to the tempo of American audiences, Goldenson stated. He thought that this could be done without too much difficulty and sug¬ gested that American personnel be employed to work with them on the first films. The circuit head pointed to Italy as an example of a European country that success¬ fully made the change from producing prod¬ uct for strictly local consumption to creating product for the U.S. Goldenson revealed that in his conferences with European producers, he offered to establish contacts for them with reputable distribution outlets in the U.S. He disclosed additionally that some sections of Europe, notably Great Britain, are suffering from a slight product shortage, but that business is still good over there. Cites Causes For Drop In a letter to stockholders Goldenson re¬ ported that the estimated net operating profit of AB-PT for the second quarter of 1954 was $715,000, or 14 cents per share of common stock, as compared with $756,000, or 16 cents, in the same period of last year. For the six-month period, the estimated net operating profit was $1,754,000 as against $2,236,000 for the same period of 1953. Increased depreciation charges, due to the installation of new theatre wide-screen and sound equipment, were named responsible for the drop in the net operating profit of' the second quarter. Goldenson noted that despite a shortage of “box office” pictures and some adverse effects of television, there was a pick¬ up in theatre grosses and earnings in June. Stereosound Permanent, Skouras Tells Managers Los Angeles. — Stereophonic sound is here to stay, Charles P. Skouras, president of Na¬ tional Theatres, Inc., and of Fox West Coast Theatres, declared before a general meeting of the Southern California division. Skouras emphatically credited CinemaScope, stereo¬ phonic sound and the miracle mirror screen for the recent upsurge in the box office. “We have a lot of faith in this business and as long as we continue to progress, we have nothing to fear.” He said TV is the “worst competitor we’ve ever had in the history of the motion picture industry, but we have also found the answer on how to get the people to come out to our theatres.” Columbia Pictures this week announced what it claims is one of the strongest product line-ups in the company’s history — a sched¬ ule of' 19 productions just entering release, awaiting release, before the cameras or in the final planning stage. Keynoting the list is “The Caine Mutiny,” which has opened to outstanding business in key cities. Soon to be seen is the Elia Kazan produc¬ tion “On The Waterfront” starring Marlon Brando. And before long Columbia will re¬ lease its first CinemaScope film, the musical comedy “Three For The Show,” starring Betty Grable. Already penciled in* for February release is the John Ford picture “The Long Gray Line,” filmed in Technicolor and Cinema¬ scope. Also looming on the horizon is “Joseph and His Brethren.” For this Biblical epic the CinemaScope cameras have alreadv captured, in Technicolor, spectacular panoramic scenes, the company declares. These were filmed on the actual locales in Egypt. Close to four hours of film is already in the can. Properties Cited To this end Columbia has garnered such properties as the novels “The End of the Affair” and “Prize of Gold”; the biography “The Long Gray Line”; such plays as “Jo¬ seph and His Brethren,” “Pal Joev,” “Phffft,” and “My Sister Eileen,” which will be called “Two Girls From Ohio” on the screen ; and a number of magazine serials. Production values have been tailored to the story involved. Ten of the 19 films are in Technicolor, four of them in CinemaScope as well. Parts of virtually every film were photographed on locations both in this coun¬ try and abroad and one picture, “On The Waterfront,” was made entirely on location. An important element is the use of the many young players on Columbia’s growing contract list. With a belief in youth and the future great reliance has been placed on such youngsters as Jack Lemmon, Robert Francis, May Wynn, Kim Novak, Phil Carey and Dianne Foster, the company reports. Columbia staff producers and independent JOSEPH BERNHARD Final respects were tendered last week to Joseph Bernhard, industry executive, who died suddenly in New York at the age of 65. At the time of his passing, Bernhard, an execu¬ tive of the Stanley Warner Corp., was sched¬ uled to become a board member of Cinerama. Bernhard was connected with the industry since 1930 — in all three branches of pro¬ duction, exhibition and distributor. He was general manager of Warner Bros. Theatres in the early 1930’s, later becoming vice-presi¬ dent and director of Warner Bros. Inc. Always commanding the good will of his associates, Bernhard, in 1942, served with the U.S. Navy in civilian capacity and received the Civilian Commendation Award for his achievements. After the war, Bernhard entered production, then moved into distribu¬ tion. In 1951 he re-entered the produc¬ ing field. producers contributed to the program. Some of Hollywood’s directors represented include John Ford, Edward Dmytryk, Anthony Mann, Elia Kazan, Fritz Lang and, from Italy, Vittorio de Sica. The schedule of 19 films includes: Now being seen: “THE CAINE MUTINY,” Technicolor adaptation of Herman Wouk’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Humphrey Bogart, Jose Ferrer, Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray star. Stanley Kramer produced, Edward Dmytryk directed from a screen play by Stanley Roberts. “HELL BELOW ZERO,” Technicolor Alan Ladd starrer, based on Hammond Innes’ novel, “Tbe White South.” Joan Tetzel has the feminine lead. The War¬ wick production was produced by Irving Allen and A. R. Broccoli and directed by Mark Robson. “INDISCRETION OF AN AMERICAN WIFE,” starring Jennifer Jones and Montgomery Clift, is the first American film of Italian producer-director Vit¬ torio de Sica. Ready for early release : “ON THE WATERFRONT,” drama starring Mar¬ lon Brando, co-starring Karl Malden and Lee J. Cobh and introducing Eva Marie Saint. The Elia Kazan production has a screen play by Budd Schulberg. Ka¬ zan directed, Sam Spiegel produced the Horizon pic¬ ture. “THE LONG GRAY LINE,” Technicolor Cinema¬ Scope saga starring Tyrone Power and Maureen O’Hara. F’ord directed, Robert Arthur produced, screen play by Edward Hope. “THREE FOR THE SHOW,” Technicolor Cinema¬ Scope musical starring Betty Grable, Marge and Gow¬ er Champion and Jack Lemmon with Myron McCor¬ mick. Based on a play by Somerset Maugham, the picture was produced by Jonie Taps and directed by H. C. Potter. “PHFFFT,” modern comedy based on George Ax¬ elrod’s unproduced play. Judy Holliday, Jack Lem¬ mon, Kim Novak and Jack Carson star. Fred Kohlmar produced and Mark Robson directed. More P/x Set “THE VIOLENT MEN,” Technicolor Cinema¬ Scope production starring Glenn Ford, Barbara Stan¬ wyck and Edward G. Robinson. The screen play by Harry Kleiner was directed by Rudolph Mate and produced by Lewis J. Rachmil. “PUSHOVER,” stars Fred MacMurray and Phil Carey and introduces Kim Novak. The screen play by Roy Huggins was directed by Richard Quine and produced by Jules Schermer. “THREE HOURS TO KILL,” Technicolor outdoor drama starring Dana Andrews and Donna Reed pro¬ duced by Harry Joe Brown and directed by Alfred Werker. “THE BLACK KNIGHT,” Technicolor drama star¬ ring Alan Ladd and co-starring Patricia Medina. The Warwick production was produced by Irving Allen and A. R. Broccoli and directed by Tay Garnett. Story and screen play are by Alec Coppel. “HUMAN DESIRE,” stars Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame and Broderick Crawford. Fritz Lang direct¬ ed the screen play by Alfred Hayes, with Lewis J. Rachmil producing. Now in production: “JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN,” a Technicolor CinemaScope spectacle to be produced by Jerry Wald. "THE END OF THE AFFAIR,” starring Deb¬ orah Kerr and Van Johnson in the David E. Rose production. The picture was produced by David Lewis and directed by Edward Dmytryk. “PRIZE OF GOLD,” Technicolor CinemaScope story starring Richard Widmark, Mai Zetterling and Nigel Patrick. The Warwick production has a screen play by John Paxton. Irving Allen and A. R. Broc¬ coli produced and Mark Robson directed. In the final planning stage : “PICNIC,” screen version of William Inge’s play. “THE MAN FROM LARAMIE,” the first William Goetz production for Columbia. The Technicolor out¬ door drama stars James Stewart. Anthony Mann will direct from a screen play by Frank Burt. “TWO GIRLS FROM OHIO,” musical version of “My Sister Eileen,” starring Janet Leigh. Fred Kohlmar will produce. “PAL JOEY,” screen version of the Broadway mu¬ sical by Rodgers and Hart, to be produced by Fred Kohlmar. Columbia Sets Dividend Columbia Pictures Corp, announces that the board has declared a quarterly dividend of $1.0614 per share on the $4.25 Cumulative Preferred stock of the company, payable on Aug. 16, to holders of record Aug. 2. THE INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL— July 24, 1954 9