Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

CHICAGO CAPITAL INTO PRODUCTION Marshall Grant Pictures Will Produce on Coast; Sonja Henie Signed Chicago Bureau Incorporated at Sacramento, California, in January at a little over a million dollars, Marshall Grant Pictures will start production about May 15th in Hollywood on "Moonrise," the first of three top-budgeted films to be made annually by the new company which is backed by leading Chicago business men and capitalists. Included in the group are Louis B. Kuppenheimer, clothing manufacturer; Henry Hart, president of Hart, Schaffner & Marx, and Richard Rosenwald, nephew of the late Julius Rosenwald. Chairman of the board of the new company is William D. Saltiel, general counsel, governor and secretary of the Chicago Opera Company. Mr. Saltiel is also general counsel and governor of the Merchants and Manufacturers Club, a post he has held since the formation of this group some 10 years ago. He was also at one time the City Attorney for the city of Chicago. President Is Former Producer President of the company is Marshall Grant, formerly a director and producer for Universal Pictures. Vice president is Charles F. Haas, a step-son of Mr. Saltiel's, also a former producer and director at Universal, whose last picture was "Her Adventurous Night," co-starring Dennis O'Keefe and Helen Walker. In an interview in his offices at 1 N. La Salle Street in Chicago Tuesday, Mr. Saltiel outlined details of the new company. The company plans on making three pictures annually, he said, each of which will be budgeted at approximately two million dollars apiece. The first of these will be "Moonrise," based on a best-selling novel of a Chicago author, Theodore Strauss, who is now in Hollywood as a writer for Paramount. His latest screen play, was "Cali fornia." Vladimir Pozner, Hollywood scenarist, has already completed the screen play of "Moonrise." Mr. Pozner is an Academy Award nominee for his screen play on "The Dark Mirror." Wellman to Direct William, A. Wellman has been signed to direct "Moonrise," Mr. Saltiel said. Negotiations are now underway for rental of studio space. No other talent has yet been signed, although the new company has options on Sonja Henie, Gene Autry and Dan Duryea. Handling talent negotiations for the new film company is Abe Lastfogel, president of the William Morris Agency. The second film scheduled by the new company is called "The Loop." According to Mr. Saltiel, this will be a story about modern-day Chicago, with emphasis on the business and cultural aspects of the mid-western metropolis. The executive emphasized that "The Loop" will attempt to counteract the over-emphasizeS gangster and other sensational phases of Chicago heretofore played up on the screen. Mr. Saltiel said that most of the "shooting" on "The Loop" will take place in Chicago. It is planned to start production within the next few months. Negotiating for Release The third feature to be produced by Marshall Grant Pictures is "Gainesville, U.S.A." Rights to produce this film has been obtained from the Gainesville group which annually produces a circus in that Texas town composed solely of local talent. Mr. Saltiel said that the major portion of this film would be shot in Gainesville. No releasing arrangement has been made to date with any distributor, but Mr. Saltiel said that negotiations are now under way for a major company release. Directors under option include E. H. Griffith, Arthur Lubin, and John Rawlins. Production manager is Ben Hirsch. Scheduled to write the screen play on "Gainesville, U.S.A." is Lynn Riggs, author of "Green Grow the Lilacs," from which the musical stage success "Oklahoma" was adapted. Although incorporated in California the new company is headed by Chicagoans. In addition to Mr. Saltiel, Mr. Haas is a Chicagoan and Mr. Grant was born in Racine, Wisconsin, and educated in Chicago schools. Mr. Grant and Mr. Haas are headquartering in Hollywood while Mr. Saltiel's headquarters are in Chicago. In Hollywood Since 1936 In 1936 Mr. Grant became production assistant to Edward Small at RKO. In 1937 he became eastern story and talent head for Universal and later that year went to the west coast as story editor. In February, 1940, he became an associate producer at Universal. His credits include "South to Karanga," "Diamond Frontier," "San Francisco Docks," "Treat 'Em Rough," "Unseen Enemy," "Escape from Hong Kong," "Destination Unknown," and "Madame Spy." In 1943 he entered the armed services and was discharged last year. Herbert K. Lyon, formerly in charge of publicity for the Balaban & Katz television station in Chicago, WBKB, recently returned from Hollywood to accept the post of publicity director for Marshall Grant Pictures. Other Chicagoans who have invested financially in the new company are Maurice A. Horner, Jr., retired head of DurandeMcNeil, wholesale grocers ; David M. Saltiel, representative of both Chicago and New York banking interests ; Lee Heiman, head of Heiman & Co., textiles ; David Copland, director of the General Transportation Corporation; Commander David N. Goldenson, head of Briggs and Turvis, stock brokers ; Maxwell Abbell, head of one of the nation's largest syndicates owning office buildings and hotels with some of their holdings including Arrowhead Springs and Paramount Hotel in New York; David Saul Klafter, county architect and property and business owner ; Peter Torosian, manufacturer of auto rubber parts ; and Harry Hoffman, head of J. S. Hoffman, Chicago, manufacturers of Rival Dog Food. A. Ronald Button, Los Angeles attorney, is secretary of Marshall Grant Pictures. Dallas Benefit Showing For "Wonderful Life" With Frank Capra's "Its a Wonderful Life" set for a tri-city Texas premiere it opened Wednesday in Dallas at the Majestic theatre with a benefit performance for the Variety Club. Staged under the auspices of Robert J. O'Donnell and Interstate Theatres, civic celebrations preceded the premiere. The other openings were for Fort Worth and San Antonio. Guests at a Variety Club banquet in Dallas were Frank Capra, Liberty Films president and producer director, and James Stewart, star of the RKO Radio release. In addition to the press and photographic coverage of the event, Mr. O'Donnell arranged day and evening broadcasts. Order Clearance Cut In New Hampshire The Boston tribunal of the American Arbitration Association last week ordered a nine-day reduction of clearance held by the Strand and Albert Theatres of Berlin, N. H., operated by Allied Theatres of Berlin, over the Ritz theatre of Gorham, N. H., in licenses from MGM, Twentieth CenturyFox, Warner Brothers, Paramount and RKO. The clearance previously held was 30 days. That was reduced to 21 days. The arbitrator held further that the clearance would apply only to product shown by either the Strand or Albert within 60 days of availability. To Demonstrate New Film Sound Method Marvin Camras of the Armour Research Foundation, Chicago, will demonstrate his new invention involving magnetic sound for motion pictures when the Society of Midwest Motion Picture Engineers hold their monthly meeting in the Engineering Building March 13. According to Mr. Camras, his sound track may be used for 35, 16 and 8mm films and allows direct playback, multiple tracks, immediate monitoring and new flexibility inarranging, editing and scoring. 26 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, MARCH 8, 1947