The Independent Film Journal (1954)

Universal Sets Most Ambitious Program MILTON RACKMIL N. J. BLUMBERG ALFRED E. DAFF EDWARD MUHL DAVID A. LIPTON Hollywood. — Universal-International’s high-level executive meetings at the studio have concluded with the decision to place before the cameras its most ambitious pro¬ gram of top-budget productions. U-I’s 1954-55 production calendar, com¬ mencing with its fiscal-year start on Novem¬ ber 1, will see its sound stages humming with some 30 important properties already blueprinted for production, 22 of which will be in color. Nearly half of this program will be highbudget films. Sparking the resolve to pro¬ duce more of these top-figure productions were this season’s record-breaking U-I moneymakers, “The Glenn Miller Story” and “Magnificent Obsession.” U-I, which has already announced five top-budgeters to be filmed in CinemaScope, will keep a close watch on this and other wide-screen processes and will continue to employ such newly developed and proved cinematic techniques as best suit the particu¬ lar productions scheduled. Also, as a result of the success of previous efforts, the meetings charted the production of at least four romantic comedies with music, cast with bright young personalities. Spontaneity, pace and freshness will be the keynote sought in this quartet of musical comedies on the U-I production schedule, it was reported. These decisions were reached at the annual executive production meetings just conclud¬ ed, presided over by President Milton Rackmil and attended by Board Chairman N. J. Blumberg; Executive Vice President Alfred E. Daft; Edward Muhl, Vice President in Charge of Production; David A. Lipton, Vice President in charge of advertising, pub¬ licity and exploitation; James Pratt, Studio Executive Manager and Morris Davis, Bus¬ iness Manager. Among the scheduled productions which have been allocated exceptionally high budg¬ ets the range runs from such recognized properties as the Broadway musical suc¬ cess, “Song of Norway” to such outstanding literary properties as “Away All Boats,” current best-selling novel bv Kenneth Dod¬ son; “The Galileans,” by Frank Slaughter; “All That Heaven Allows,” by Edna Lee and Harry Lee, and ‘New Heaven, New Earth,” by Arthemise Goertz. Also slated for major large-scale treat¬ ment by the studio is “The Benny Goodman Story.” The roster will additionally include “Pillars of the Sky,” “The Charles Russell Story,” “Wind From Suva,” “The Spoilers” and “A Day Called Tomorrow.” 20th-Fox Mulls “Egyptian” Plans; Announce Print Availabilities A1 Lichtman, 20th Century-Fox distribu¬ tion chief, called a special meeting at the company’s home office this week to discuss merchandising plans for “The Egyptian,” slated for a fall release. Other films were also considered at the meeting, which was opened by Spyros P. Skouras, president. Lichtman was assisted by W. C. Gehring, executive assistant general sales manager; Arthur Silverstone, assistant general sales manager; Glenn Norris, eastern manager, and Alex Harrison, western manager. Division and branch managers from both the U.S. and Canada attended as well as Emanuel Silverstone, vice-president of the company’s international corporation. In addition to “The Egyptian,” other films discussed included “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” “A Woman’s World,” “The Adventures of Hajji Baba,” “Carmen Jones,” “Black Widow,” “Desiree,” “White Feather,” “A Life in the Balance,” “The Raid,” “The Gambler from Natchez,” and Princess of the Nile.” Twentieth Century-Fox has announced a new print availability schedule, featuring the delivery of at least one CinemaScope production per week, on all its anamorphic features through “The Egyptian.” The prints will come in single optical, single magnetic and four-track magnetic sound, the com¬ pany reports. Single-track prints of “Broken Lance” will be available Aug. 12 and “Garden of Evil” on Aug. 21. One-track sound prints of “King of the Khyber Rifles” will be ready by Sept. 18, with a Sept 25 date on “Be¬ neath the 12-Mile Reef” and Sept. 4 for “Demetrius and the Gladiators.” Para Has Anniversary; Film Editing At Peak Paramount Pictures will celebrate its 40th anniversary, 1914-1954, this autumn with a national sales drive titled “Paramount’s 40th Anniversary — A Salute to the Future,” the company reports. The drive is scheduled to run from Aug. 29 to Dec. 4, with the first week designated “A. W. Schwalberg Anni¬ versary Week” and the second “Paramount Week.” Monroe R. Goodman, assistant to Schwalberg, head of Paramount Film Dis¬ tributing Corp., has been named drive co¬ ordinator. Paramount’s film editing department re¬ veals that it is at its busiest peak since World War II days with 10 major films being readied for release. Pictures in the cutting room are “Strategic Air Command,” “Three Ring Circus,” “The Bridges at TokoRi,” “Run for Cover,” “The Country Girl,” “Conquest of Space” and “Love Is a Weapon.” Still shooting are “To Catch a Thief,” “We’re No Angels” and “Blue Hori¬ zons.” U-I Convenes Far East Sales Meet In Tokyo Universal-International will convene a Far Eastern sales conference in Tokyo on Aug. 16, marking the first time a major film com¬ pany has brought together overseas managers from such divergent territories as Pakistan and Japan, according to the company. Americo Aboaf, vice-president and general sales manager of Universal International Films, is slated to preside. Charles Feldman, Universal general sales manager, has been invited as guest of honor to meet with the 25 delegates drawn from 11 different countries during the five day meet. Heading the Far Eastern headquarters contingent will be Arthur G. Doyle, Far Eastern supervisor, and Wally Orr, man¬ aging directo for Japan. Delegates will come from Burma, Formosa, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, the Philip¬ pines, Singapore and Thailand, in addition to the countries mentioned above. Quimby Inks New Pact Hollywood. — Fred C. Quimby, head of M-G-M short subject production and cartoon . producer, has been signed to a new long-term contract to mark his 30th year with the company, according to an M-G-M report. I The studio announced additionally the im¬ mediate organization of two new liveaction short subject units, one of which will produce dramas while the other will handle comedies. 1 16 THE INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL— August 7. 1954