The Independent Film Journal (1955)

HOLLYWOOD .. .on fhe wire RICHARD BERNSTEIN, Editor Hollywood Offices: 8245 Beeman Avenue North Hollywood. Tel.: Rogers 7-2347 M-G-M has assigned Charles Schnee to prodnce “Until They Sail,” the film version of the James A. Miehener story. Robert Andrews Avill write the screen play. Fol¬ lowing this film, Sclmee will produce “Wings of the Eagle,” for M-G-M. . . . Hal Wallis signed Josej)!! Anthony, who staged the play on Broadway, to direct his screen version of “The Rainmaker,” which Paramount will release. The film will star Katherine Hepburn and Burt Lancaster. . . . Charles Schneer will produce three films for RKO release. Schneer spent 10 years at Columbia as executive assistant to Sam Katzman and also prodi;ced two feature films during his stay there. ^ Chuck Connors was added to the cast of “Hold Back The Night,’’ at Allied Artists. The feature rolls this week Allan Dwan directing for Producer Hayes Goetz. John Payne stars in the film. . . , Foreign film star Curd Jurgens signed a five picture pact with U-I. The actor, who has starred in many European productions, was the recipi¬ ent of a Venice Film Festival Award for his performance in the German feature film, “The Devil’s General,’’ and the French pic¬ ture, “The Heroes Are Tired.’’ His first American film assignment will be an¬ nounced in the immediate future. * * ♦ “Storm Over The Nile,” a Zoltan Korda production, has been set for United States release this summer through Columbia Pic¬ tures. Filmed in the Sudan and in England, film stars Laurence Harvey, Anthony Steel and James Robertson Justice. ^ ^ * Frank Love joy has been signed to co-star with Doris Day, Louis Jourdan and Barry Sullivan in “Julie,” to be directed by An¬ drew Stone and produced by Martin Melcher for M-G-M release. Film will go into production in Carmel March 5. . . . John Payne has been signed by Pine-ThomasShane to star in “Bail Out at 43,000,” which will be made from the TV play of the same name. Paul Monash, author of the story, will prepare the screen play. . . . Nancy Gates and producer Herman Cohen are on location discussing one of her scenes in Allied Artists' "Magnificent Roughnecks" in which she stars with Mickey Rooney, Jack Carson and Jeff Donnell. Buddy de Franco and his trio have been signed to play in the progressive jazz se¬ quences in Sidnay Harmon’s “Step Down To Terror,” UA release, which Harry Hor¬ ner is directing. ^ « The story of a battalion of 700 Irishmen who were hanged by General Winfield Scott for fighting against him in the Mexican War of 1847-48, has been acquired by Pro¬ ducer Carl Krueger for film production this year. A Spanish language best-selling novel in Mexico, the historical work is titled, “Saint Patrick’s Battalion,” and was writ¬ ten by Patricia Cox, a Mexican who is a direct descendant of one of the Irish who was hanged. Krueger plans to film the ]n-oductioii mainly on location. He has ju.st finished a Dana Andrews starrer, “Co¬ manche,” which will be released by United Artists. « ♦ « Jack Balance was cast in the lead role in “The Lonely Man, ’ ’ at Paramount, which will be produced by Pat Duggan and di¬ rected by Henry Levin. On the same lot, “Funny Face” will start April 2 with Au¬ drey Hepburn and Fred Astaire co-starring. Roger Edens will produce and Stanley Donen will direct. Hal Wallis’ “Hollywood Or Bust,” which will star Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and Shirley MacLaine with Frank Tashlin directing will go March 15. « ^ « Montgomeiy Clift will jilay the lead in M-G-M’s screen version of the prize win¬ ning novel, “Raintree County,” which David Lewis will produce. . . . Over at RKO, Anita Eckberg was inked for the fenune lead opjiosite Robert Ryan in ‘ ‘ Back Prom Eternity,” which John Farrow will produce and direct for RKO release. Others in the top cast are Rod Steiger, Keith Andes, Gene Bariy and .lesse White. RKO also announced that “The Most Beaxatiful Girls In The World,” a romantic and lavish mu¬ sical story told against a background of the life of the late Earl Carroll, will be produced as one of the studio’s major pro¬ ductions in 1957. Allied Artists executive producer Walter Mirisch announced that he has purchased an original, “The Oklahoman,” from Daniel B. Ullman and has scheduled it for a Joel McCrea starrer. This will be McCrea’s third feature at the studio. Ullman will write his own screen play and the picture has a penciled in April starting date. In the film, McCrea will play a frontier physician. . . . AUied Artists will also release “King of the Coral Sea,” which stars Chips Rafferty, Charles TingweD, lima Adey and Rod Tay¬ lor. Rafferty is one of Australia’s biggest stars. 4^ * * Bruce Bennett lias been signed for a star¬ ring role in “The Three Outlaws,” a west¬ ern drama, which Sigmund Neufeld will ])roduce and Sam Newfield will direct from a stoiy and screen jilay by Orville Hamp¬ ton. Associated Film Releasing Coip. will distribute the film, which will start shoot¬ ing the latter part of February. . . . Robert (Continued on following pctge) Plan AFL Boycott On Mexican-Made “Daniel Boone” Hollywood. — Declaring that the theatri¬ cal feature Daniel Boone was made in Mexico “to escape paying American standard of living wages,” the Hollywood AFL Film Council announced this week that it is plan¬ ning a national boycott campaign against the film. The Council represents more than 24,000 ('inployes of the film industry. Produced by American interests, the film was made xnider non-union conditions in Mexico and without American union tech¬ nicians, The production company’s president Albert Gannaway has been notified that the film will bo denied the lATSE seal. As yet, no releasing arrangement has been made, although it has been r('ported that Republic is interested in the feature. The Hollywood Council is calling on the support of all national, state and local bodies of the CIO-AFL to warn their members against the film. The Council reports that it already has the support of the Kentucky State Federation of Labor and other central labor unions in the state. The Council stated further that “some pic¬ tures must be made in other countries in order to insxxre authentic foreign locale, but Daniel is laid entirely in this country.” The spokesman for the Council George Flaherty pointed out that the American standard of living wage makes attendance at the nation’s theatres possible. The boycott will be directed by Ralph Peckham, chainnan of the Council’s Foreign Production Committee. Gross-Krasne Plans 7; To Set Distrib Deals After Pix Completed Hollywood. — Jack Gross and Philip Krasne, owners-oixerators of California Studios, have announced plans to produce at least seven feature theatre films during 1956, in addition to their television activities. Each j picture will be filmed independent of a re ■ leasing commitment, with distributor deals parted after the producers have had a chance to evaluate their finished pi’oduct, Krasne explained that “it is just as im¬ portant for a producer to have the preroga¬ tive of judging the merits of a distributor for a ixarticular film as it is for the distribu¬ tor to evaluate the pictures he is offered.” Gross asserted that indie producers can occasionally realize more revenue from an outright sale of a finished product to a dis¬ tributor than by working on a percentage basis. If the producer waits until the film is finished, “he is not dependent upon the releasing organization’s normal and rtghtful i dictates as to production budgets, etc.,” he ' said. “We will continue to make our pic , tures within budgets justified by the stories and stai-s . . . When wo have a pictiare com¬ pleted and scored, we are in a much better bargaining position concerning release.” The first of the seven features made under this arrangement is Please Murder Me, An¬ gela Lansbur>" stairor, to be released by DCA. Other films already in preparation are Creatures From Green Hell, The Okla¬ homan, Baby-Faced Filler and Deep Seam, (Continued on following page) 16 THE INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL— February 18. 1956