Motion Picture Herald (1953)

COLUMBIA TO HAVE 34 FEATURES US 9 MONTHS Covers Wide-Screen, 3-D, Stereophonic Sound; to Have Two 3-D Shorts A four-point program embracing 34 features and two 3-D short subjects for release in the coming nine-month period was announced this week by Columbia Pictures. Assuring the exhibitor a continuous flow of product, the program covers the company’s plans for future use of wide-screen, 3-D and stereophonic sound. In making the announcement, Columbia said the program was predicated on two basic beliefs : the need of all theatres for a steady supply of top films, and the necessity for Columbia to keep abreast of major technical developments, incorporating those in the best interests of the industry into its program. Columbia declared that the program assures exhibitors that : 1. All of the company’s future releases are being prepared so that they may be shown on wide screens up to an aspect ratio of 1.85 to 1. 2. Stereophonic sound will be used in all current and future releases in which it will add to the dramatic effect. 3. Columbia will continue its 3-D productions. In addition to “Man in the Dark” and “Fort Ti,” eight 3-D pictures will be released by the company in the next 12 months. 4. All of the company’s films, until further notice, may be used on standard screens and with present sound equipment. Analysis of the product listing reveals that all 34 features will be available for both standard and wide-screen projection; all are equipped with conventional sound tracks, including the 26 which will be available with stereophonic sound as well; there will be seven 3-D productions, all in color by Technicolor and equipped with stereophonic sound; and that of the 34 productions, 21 will be in color by Technicolor, including the 3-D films. Of the two 3-D shorts offered in the same period, one will be in color by Technicolor. Following is a listing of the 34 features and two shorts. Those to be released in standard, wide-screen and 3-D, all in color by Technicolor and equipped with stereophonic sound are ; Fort Ti, starring George Montgomery and Joan Vohs; direeted by William Castle and produced by Sam Katzman. Miss Sadie Thompson, starring Rita Hayworth, Jose Ferrer and Aldo Ray; directed by Curtis Bernhardt and produced by Jerry Wald. Gun Fury, with Rock Hudson and Donna Reed ; directed by Raoul Walsh and produced by Lewis J. Rachmil. The Stranger Wore a Gun, starring Randolph Scott and Claire Trevor; directed by Andre de Toth and produced by Harry Joe Brown. The Nebraskan, directed by Fred F. Sears, produced by Wallace MacDonald. Drums of Tahiti, to be filmed in Hawaii with a cast headed by Patricia Medina; William Castle will direct for producer Sam Katzman. Fifty Fathoms Deep, to be produced by the Robert Cohn unit. Technicolor productions, available for projection on wide screen and with stereophonic sound are : The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T., a Stanley Kramer production, starring Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy, directed by Roy Rowland. Let’s Do It Again, starring Jane Wyman, Ray Milland and Aldo Ray ; directed by Alexander Hall and produced by Oscar Saul. Cruisin’ Down the River, starring Billy Daniels, Dick Haymes and Audrey Totter ; directed by Richard Quine and produced by Jonie Taps. Conquest of Cochise, starring John Hodiak and Robert Stack; directed by William Castle and produced by Sam Katzman. The Big Jump, Alan Ladd and Leo Genn; directed by Terence Young, produced for Warwick Pictures by Irving Allen and Cubby Broccoli. Slaves of Babylon, Richard Conte and Linda Christian ; directed by William Castle, produced by Sam Katzman. Prisoners of the Casbah, Gloria Grahame, Cesar Romero and Turhan Bey; directed by Richard Bare, produced by Sam Katzman. Charge of the Lancers, Paulette Goddard and Jean Pierre Aumont ; directed by Mark Robson, produced by Irving Allen and Cubby Broccoli. Hell Below Zero, Alan Ladd and Joan Tetzel; a Warwick picture directed by Mark Robson and produced by Irving Allen and Cubby Broccoli. Technicolor productions for standard or wide screen, with conventional sound tracks are : Serpent of the Nile, Rhonda Fleming and William Lundigan ; directed by William Castle and produced by Sam Katzman. Ambush at Tomahawk Gap, John Hodiak, John Derek, David Brian; directed by Fred F. Sears and produced by Wallace MacDonald. Siren of Bagdad, Paul Henreid and Patricia Medina ; directed by Richard Quine and produced by Sam Katzman. Flame of Calcutta, Denise Darcel and Patric Knowles; directed by Seymour Friedman and produced by Sam Katzman. Black-and-white productions, standard or wide screen and equipped with stereophonic sound are: Mission Over Korea, starring John Hodiak, John Derek, Audrey Totter and Maureen O’Sullivan; directed by Fred F. Sears and produced by Robert Cohn. From Here to Eternity, Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed; Fred Zinnemann directed and Buddy Adler produced. Sky Commando, Dan Duryea and Frances Gifford, directed by Fred F. Sears and produced by Sam Katzman. China Venture, Edmond O’Brien and Barry Sullivan ; Dan Siegal directed and Anson Bond produced. A Name for Herself, Judy Holliday and Peter Lawford ; directed by George Cukor and produced by Fred Kohlmar. Scalpel, Charlton Heston, Lizabeth Scott and Dianne Foster ; directed by Irving Rapper, with William J. Fadiman an associate producer. The Wild One, Stanley Kramer’s production starring Marlon Brando with Mary Murphy; directed by Laslo Benedek. The Big Heat, Glenn Ford and Gloria Grahame; directed by Fritz Lang and produced by Robert Arthur. El Alamein, Scott Brady; directed by Fred F. Sears; produced by Wallace MacDonald. Paris Model, Marilyn Maxwell and Eva Gabor. Black-and-white productions, standard or wide screen and conventional sound track are : The Affairs of Messalina, Maria Felix and George Marchal ; directed by Carmine Gallone. The Juggler, Stanley Kramer production; starring Kirk Douglas, directed by Edward Dmytryk. The 49th Man, John Ireland and Richard Denning; directed by Fred F. Sears, produced by Sam Katzman. The Last Posse, Broderick Crawford, John Derek, Charles Bickford ; directed by Alfred Werker, produced by Harry Joe Brown. The two 3-D shorts scheduled by the company for this period are “Spooks,” a Three Stooges’ black-and-white two-reel comedy with conventional sound, and “The Tell-Tale Heart,” a one-reel color by Technicolor UPA cartoon, which will also have a conventional sound system. Italian Pact Signed; Remittances Open The Italian Government has officially signed the Italo-American film agreement, according to cabled reports from Rome, although one provision in the over-all pact remains open. Still undetermined is the question of remittances to American companies on earned revenue in Italy. At the time the new deal was negotiated in Rome by Eric Johnston, president of Motion Picture Export Association, there was a provision that remittances would be increased from 37 per cent to 40 per cent. The Italian Government as yet has not indicated its willingness to accept the 40 per cent figure. However, there appears to be a feeling of optimism among MPEA members that the proposed increase will be granted. Head B'nai B'rith Tourney Harold Rinzler, of the Randforce Circuit, and Marvin Kirsch, of Radio Daily, have been named co-chairmen of the second annual film industry golf tournament, to be sponsored by the Cinema Lodge of B’nai B’rith, June 11, at the Vernon Hills Country Club, Tuckahoe, N. Y. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, MAY 30, 1953 21