The Exhibitor (1957)

24 STUDIO SURVEY Bel-Air Blazes EDWIN F. ZABEL With Hollywood swiftly changing over to more and more independent produc¬ ing, picture makers are taking a cue from what is probably the most success¬ ful multiple picture operation in the business, Bel-Air Productions. Releas¬ ing through United Artists, Bel-Air has made 24 pictures in the past three-anda-half years, and all have been success¬ ful at the boxoffice. The know-how of Edwin F. Zabel, Aubrey Schenck, and Howard W. Koch has resulted in getting almost 95 per cent of a film’s cost on the screen, which is something of a modern day miracle in Hollywood. Distributors, financiers, and producers have been closely watching Bel-Air’s operations with the idea of duplicating them in their own set-ups. With the present economics of the industry, the quality and time-saving methods em¬ ployed by Bel-Air may well be the solu¬ tion to the woes of other producers as well as being an indirect boon to exhibi¬ tors in getting out more product for dis¬ tribution and at reasonable terms. A great boost to the Bel-Air organ¬ ization was the election to the presidency of Edwin F. Zabel, retired National The¬ atres vice-president and Fox West Coast Theatres general manager. Zabel brings to the company his experience as a top theatre man and expert knowledge of sales and distribution. The independent’s production tiller is steered by Aubrey Schenck, long con¬ sidered one of Hollywood’s best story and idea men, who functions as execu¬ tive producer. Under his supeiwision, writers are constantly working to turn out scripts with exploitation themes. He is constantly on the watch for promising newcomers in not only the acting pro¬ fession but on the production side as well, and has been instrumental in building up talented thespians and directors who are needed by the industry to fill thinning ranks. Trail For Independent Producers 24 Boxoffice Hits In Three Years Boosts Firm To Top Of Indie Operations AUBREY SCHENCK In Howard W. Koch, Bel-Air has a pro¬ ducer-director responsible for the success of the physical handling of production chores. One of the best liked executives in production, he has had great success in selecting crews that have been the heart of the operation because of their enthusiasm, teamwork and top quality workmanship. From scouting locations and arranging facilities, to overseeing set problems and planning schedules, Koch has personally ridden herd on production costs with an eye to not stinting where top quality can be injected and switch¬ ing schedules due to mishaps or weather so as not to waste shooting time. In the past year, Koch has turned more actively to directing, winning critical acclaim for painstaking and originally creative work. Pictures directed by Koch during the past year are “The Girl In Black Stockings,” “Untamed Youth,” and “Jungle Heat.” In a recent diversion from the Bel -Air operation, Zabel made a pact with Warner Brothers for a one picture deal, with Schenck producing and Koch directing. The picture was “Untamed Youth,” star¬ ring Mamie Van Doren and Lori Nelson, and has proven that major studios can turn out boxoffice films at realistic pro¬ duction costs. The experiment was a much talked about subject in the Hollywood trade press as well as in executive circles, and has done a lot in urging other studios to study the Zabel-Schenck-Koch methods. Four of Bel-Air’s most successful pic¬ tures have been “Beachhead,” “The Black Sleep,” “Shield For Murder,” and “Rebel In Town.” Current releases include “Voo¬ doo Island,” starring Boris Karloff; “Re¬ volt At Fort Laramie,” starring John Dehner and Gregg Palmer; “Pharaoh’s Curse,” starring Mark Dana and Ziva Ro-Dann; and “Tomahawk Trail,” star¬ ring Chuck Connors and John Smith. Four more films that have been completed and are also to be released through United Artists are “The Girl In Black Stockings,” starring Lex Barker, Anne Bancroft, Mamie Van Doren, Ron Randell, and Marie Windsor; “War Drums,” starring Lex Barker, Joan Taylor, and Ben Johnson; “Outlaw’s Son,” starring Dane Clark, Ben Cooper, Lori Nelson, and Ellen Drew; and “Jungle Heat,” starring Lex Barker and Mari Blanchard. In the next three months, Bel-Air will be producing or preparing “Dope Ship,” “Bop Girl Goes Calypso,” “The Three Pursued,” “The Dalton Girls,” “Fort Bowie,” “Bridgehead,” and a Boris Kar¬ loff horror film. Headquartering in their own building at Ziv Studios, Bel-Air maintains its own story, casting, publicity, editing, trans¬ portation, and production departments. Visiting exhibitors, journalists, and busi¬ nessmen have been impressed by the in¬ dustrious progress and approach acheved by the organization which is dedicated to providing product for every size theatre in every location throughout the world. HOWARD W. KOCH MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR March 13, 1957