Variety (Jan 1945)

Wednesday, January 8, 1945 Thirty-ninth pjiSilETY Annitetsary PICTURES I New Screen Toppers of 1944 rwieiiu ..■■■■■■■■■MiHiiiluiiLilliMuiJimniMimHiiiinmiiiiiimw Pix As a Peace Force By WILL H. HAYS The vital and recognized part the motion picture is playing in war has not been accomplished by any over-all change in its machinery, but by vastly increasing its usefulness in special areas and by utter and united intensification of its effort on every front. When these dark years of destruction have passed and a post-war era of material, moral and spiritual reconstruction has begun, the individual characteristics and unique capabilities of the film fit it to perform what may well be its greatest and most significant service. No instrumentality devised by man. can so clearly portray the problems inevitable to peace in a medium so understandable to all. Not only its .universal appeal, but the very nature of the motion picture enables it to overcome those barriers which frequently have proved so formidable in other types of communication. Emotions and attributes, such as joy and sorrow, love and hate, courage and cowardice, charity and cruelty are basic, recognizable to any human eyes and those are the things which form the language of the film. ' The likeness of a man on the screen may bring a different word to the minds of many in an audience—homo, homme, mann, nyin, hombre—but the onlookers all see the same figure, note the same action. Beyond the use of words, the screen talks in pictures and symbols and the scientific measure of the instructional value of film demonstrates a visual impact that is astounding. Investigators tell us that about 80% of what an average human being learns and remembers is attributable to the sense of sight. Another special advantage accrues to any story or fact or idea advanced through the medium of the screen. In these modern days, when all life is more crowded, when the speed of transportation and communication has almost unbeliavably increased and. when technical and mechanical achievement offer an infinite variety of new interests, there is terrific com- petition for the attention of the individual. It is of primary concern to realize that the. motion picture is exhibited under conditions orrndxirnum receptivity to an audience relaxed and eager, seeking for and submitting to ^TheiXrcf itls^aln that the Motion Picture Industry will in days of peace find the gates of fortuitous opportunity open wide Inevitably, this •power to entertain, inform and inspire will haye its effect upon thrives, habits and thoughts of the peoples of the world. Its possibilities are al- most incalculable and will be developed with an accompanying sense of its "^"aborand vision, the motion picture has reached its present assured pla£ as a great art-industry. The steps which lead to hat high; esUte have been built by many hands. In united effort, that building will go, on The future will bring new economic and social conditions, new develop- in • Beyond an ever-increasing quality mcnls, new possibilities and new needs. ,„*„ r „ of'production and exhibition, we do not know what the trend of the f uture oictures will be except that it will be conditioned by the ^termination to'meet these needs. We hope and believe that films created in an atmos- phe re offreedom may be of continuing and signal service to a free world. Talent, Manpower Remain Film Tiiz's Major Concern By MORI KRUSHEN Flock of Potent Newcomer Stars Causing Snooty Vets to Worry . Name a Few: Van Johnson, Jennifer Jones, Sonny Tufts, Elizabeth Taylor, John Hodiak, Robert Walker, Sinatra, Lauren Bacall, Alexander Knox To By JACK JUNGMEYER Hollywood. The screen newcomers of 1944 again profited by the same wartime circumstances which have hastened the success of talent during the past few years. The ac- celeration was even more notable during the last twelvemonth. There was a greater gamble by studio executives in what seemed to be promising human material. Casting competition had reached a frantic stage. Except for the.new talent promoted to top rank, not without considerable misgiving but with courage born of desperation, some of the best story material and as it turned out, the most profitable, would have had to be shelved. The gamble in practically every studio to fill vacancies left by war inductions of name players paid" off handsomely. New names hit the marquees with confirmed public favor. The butterflies left the solar plexi of the producers as their chance-taking began to pay oft and the business of hustling new- comers or comparative unknowns to swift prominence became almost a confirmed policy. Some of the elder stars of the home front, tending to drop away from the major companies for their own units, or plaintive at doing more than one or two. pic- tures a year because of tax takeouts, began to look a bit anxiously toward their laurels at' these swift stel- lar replacements and the crop of brilliant comer- uppers. Look at 'em—on the 1944 parade: starred with Dorothy Lamour in "A Medal for Benny" and followed that with another Lamour bracketing in "Masquerade In Mexico." Danny Kaye made his bid in Samuel Goldwyn's "Up In Arms," capitalizing on his stage experience as Broadway clowning hoofer'to win stardom in initial film try. That picture, in which' he seemed a pin- wheel of energy and antics, he introduced new brand of comedy- to compete with other top funsters, and found further scoring power in Goldwyn's "The Wonder Man." He has a third coming up for same producer this spring, Interesting newcomer not yet generally familiar to filmgoers is Warners' young and strangely attractive Lauren Bacall. She was advantaged by a very effec-. tive press campaign to complement her performance in an important picture, "To Have and Have Not," with Humphrey Bogart. Miss Bacall profited by that bracketing with the redoubtable Bogart in the guise of. a very tough adventuress, with a throaty con-. . tralto voice which fitted the casting perfectly. How versatile she is remains to be seen.. Tendency will be to type her. Her. second appearance is in "The Big Sleep," again with Bogart. She has no counterpart on the screen today and no apparent handicaps for distinguished success. Also she seems to have the resourcefulness an'd reserves of ability demanded of star candidates. Certainly she got an auspicious launching. ."->.. Hodiak, Walker, Bey, Sinatra Van Johnson, Jennifer, Knox One .of Metro's topflight produc- ers told "Variety" a few weeks ago that if seven-year-old -Margaret O'Brien would fill all the assign- ments she's wanted for she would be kept busy for the next 80 years. That tribute, however, also high- lights the Hollywood talent problem which in 1944 reached its most acute stage since Pearl Harbor. This was the year when It was said that a star is worth more than $1,000,000 to a producer or a studio. It was also a year when the few pre-war stars n .naining preferred to make fewer pictures owing to the •o^SftW.^ V.ixrs. * same • time, there develops a the greatest mass migrations by stars, producer*, directors and writers from their home lots to other majors or inde- pendent producers—wherever' profit participation deals could be ob- . talned. - Cases of lnter-studio or attempted raiding became more frequent. But the main reason for the ebb and flow of personnel was the ambition to go into independent production .or work on profit-participation. At one time, film executives reported, more than 90% of all top players at the studios were considering setting up independent production units. Some of them—such as Bing Crosby and Gary Cooper—did so. James Cagney, who went into-independent . production earlier, earned • more money with a single picture, "Johnny Come Lately," than he would normally earn in two years on the usual basis. The consummation of the Hal wallis independent unit deal at Paramount touched off ■ the' already .ticking time-bomb! Other produc- ers and directors; both at Para- mount and at other studios, imme- diately thereafter began to press demands for independent units, which in effect make the producers partners of the major companies. r Values • A releasing deal with a major distributor is computed worth $250, «•<> to a producer If his- picture.Is •ven fair. Once given a releasing * r raugement the producer obtains regular bank or private financing. Where the major company also pro- vides studio facilities and, in some cases, a call on studio talent, the ma- jor company is in effect virtually financing the entire production ven- ture. Profits, after negative and dis- tribution costs are deducted are, in some cases, split 50-50 by the major and the Independent unit. If followed to its logical conclu- sion and oh an increasing scale such a development could conceivably lead to chaotic conditions, since each ma- jor producing company would con- sist of a series of partnerships with little companies. 20th»Fox had pre- viously ImuiiX down such «' <ltal with William Goetz, though anxious to keep this producer on the lot. Metro, for one, refused to enter any profit-participation deals either with independent producers, novel- lsts or playwrights. Paramount, Warners,-Columbia, Universal and RKO, more or less, bowed to new conditions. Contribution from Independent producers, In pictures either com- pleted or scheduled, 'in relation to the entire film , output by all com- panies, Reached a new peak. Of a total estimated-production cost of some $225,000,000, the negative In- vestments scheduled by the Inde- pendent producers amount to some $60,000,000 or around 25%, This, of course, includes the J. Arthur Rank (British-made) product with a neg- ative cost of $10,000,000. Peak Casta Production costs exceeded the 1943 peak levels. But, towards the close of 1944, industry leaders began to show an awareness of the unusually high cost of production. No drastic curtailment was or could be made The word was passed around, rather, to watch for opportunities to keep costs within bounds by eliminating waste, to think of tomorrow," rather than today, when it might become necessary to reduce costs. Without cutting salaries or story costs,, studios could ' save by eHm mating unnecessary shooting, The $3,000,000 or $4,000,000 negative came into great disfavor; the $2,000,000 (Continued on page 114) Van Johnson, Metro's fair-haired boy, stands high among the recently elevated top names. He has quali- fied both as an actor of considerable talent and as a puissant personality, on and off tho screen. He is now running neck-and-neck with Frank Sinatra for the demonstrated favor of the squealing minnies, where- ever he is seen. Possibly has an even greater follow- ing than the "Voice." On strictly professional merit, Johnson has earned his name as one of Metro's most dependable-and versatile players, respected by audi-, ences of all ages for performances such as he gave in "A Guy Named Joe," "Madame Curie" and "The Human Comedy" in 1943, and in "Two Girls and a Sailor,". "Ziegfeld Follies" and, most notably in his serious por- trayal as Major Ted Lawson in "30 Seconds Over Tokyo." He had been before cameras in lesser roles in 1942, but drew only passing interest prior to the past year. Current starring vehicles are "Thrill of a Romance" and "Weekend at the Waldorf." Two persons unknown to filmgoers rose to the heights in one try—and in each instance a genuine talent gamble—to bear out the thesis that this was the year of the big and oft-successful chance taking: Jen- nifer Jones and Alexander Knox.' Miss Jones distinguished her first fllm role m 20th- Fox's "Song of Bernadette," still further by winning . the Academy Award' for that outstanding performance. Challenging her Latent and untested talents was this title part in'one or 20th's most Important .films in years.. She was borrowed from David O. Selznick and came ■ through with star rating' from the first, going on from' there to dominant part in Selznick's "Since You Wen$. Awax£,.lnto Hal Wallis* "The Love Letters" at Paramount, and will follow these with Selznick's own' production, a pretentious western in Technicolor, "Duel In the Sun." Alexander Knox's performance, as Woodrow Wilson In Darryl Zanuck's 20th-Fox production, "Wilson," was equally meteoric and even more demanding as.an initial major role. Knox, , on loan from Columbia,'re- lied almost entirely on his ability to create ail illustory, rather than a physically makeup, likeness of the First World Wartime president He too was entirely un- known before this amazing impersonation, highly spoken of by every critic and commentator who saw the picture. In fact, the performance wad so superb that the actor, will probably not have its like again • and "Where Do We Go From Here""last year. In.her John Hodiak was an unknown a year ago. Alfred Hitchcock gave him swift and solid importance in an exacting role in his "Lifeboat" at 20th-Fox. Under contract to M,etro, he had previously appeared in small roles in "Du Barry Was a Lady" and "Song of Russia." Then came opportunities in which he scored in Metro'a "Marriage Is a-Private Affair," 20th's "Sunday Dinner for a Soldier," perhaps his most sympathetic role, and the current "A Bell for Adano." Robert Walker also is one of the young phenoms who stepped along fast on pure merit and appealing personality. Brought from IJew York, he was'as- signed by. Metro to first film'role in "Bataan," with exceptionally well done principal parts in "See "Here, Private Hargrove" (he being "Hargrove"), which . made him a star; Selznick's "Since You Went Away," in which he played opposite his estranged wife, Jen- nifer, Jones," and "30 Seconds Over Toklo." Recently 'he completed "The'Clock" at Metro with Judy Gar- land, and his next is "Her Highness and the Bellboy" with Hedy Lamarr. Brilliant stellar ascent came to Elizabeth Taylor in Metro's Clarence Brown production, "National Velvet," in which the appealing and prodigiously gifted young- ster played the role of the daughter "who loves horses and races one in the Grand National. Picture will be an Academy Award, entry, and the 15-year-old'actress —and she pis a superb actress—can have just about anything for which her years qualify her at her home studio. | About the same age, and another brilliant youngster, is Peggy Ann Garner, who will make her stellar debut in 20th's "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn," as the daughter; She already has amply demonstrated her powers in "Jane Eyre" and "Nob HUL" She has made a name ""toirieli she'can manifestly tcsttp'bright and provocative across the - years into full maturity. The next la "Keys of the Kingdom." Jeanne Cram is another 20th-Fox star asset of top' value. Scoring In such pictures as "Home In Indiana," "In the Meantime, Darling," "Winged Victory," and "Bon Voyage," Irish-California-born Miss Crain com- bines looks with exceptional ability to give every promise of sustained importance as an emotional actress of audience favor. , June Hajier has managed to> come to attention at 20th first as the attractive young blonde in "Home In Indiana" in 1943, then In "Irish Eyes Are'Smiling" in any forseeable screenplay, and in that sense faces an anti-climactic career. Tufts, de Cordova, Kaye, Bacall 1 Sonny Tufts came to his full stature at Paramount this season. And to prove how valuable his company regards him, they loaded him with assignments, all boT\e with credit to himself and his bosses. Tufts, Boston Back Bay, made bis film bow last year-as a' Marine in Mark Sandrich's "So Proudly We Hail,'' and followed up with star callbtt performances in "I Love a Soldier" with Paulette Goddard; "Here Come the WavesA.with Bing Crosby and Betty Hutton; "Bring On theTHrls"; "Miss Susie Slagle','; "Too Good to Be True," and, in one of his most importanfplacements, as Steve in "The Virginian." He is at home both in romantic or comedy roles and in musicals.' Arturo de Cordova flashed to prominence as the romantic buccaneer in Paramount^ "Frenchman's Creek," opposite Joan Fontaine. This was -bis first romantic essay, his previous appearance having, been, under wraps in a character role in "For Whom the Bell Tolls." De Cordova has -had a name and a top place as a Mexican fllm and stage star, but was un- known this side of the border until bis preMniptioa at Paramount. His manner, appearance, flab' an sugges- tive of the fiery temper of John Gilbert in bis heyday or Ronald Colman. Since "Creek," de Cordova hat talent also goes with pulchritude. Turhan Bey became one of the proralnents, repre- senting Universal with -an Interesting - personality, excellent performances on his home lot and on loan- out to Metro, where he had one of the top roles in "Dragon Seed." Bey also became one of the romantic figures about town, thus adding some luster to bis more professional assignments. For Universal he did "The Climax," "Bowery to Broadway," "Frisco Sal," and for Metro "Dragon Seed," as his more important roles, . Ella Raines,' on the same lot,' moved up to. claim . attention" In "Phantom Lady," and in "Cry Havoc," on loanout.to Metro, and in "Tall In the Saddle" with " John- Wayne, on loan to RKO. Xdulse Allbritton found -her forte In. comedy per- formances in "Fired Wife," "Her Primitive Man" and "San Diego, I Love You," indicating talent as yet not fully exploited although impressive. * * Frank Sinatra made his bid for a screen name, to add to bis other achievements, in this past year, •although, his first, film role was in RKO's "Higher and Higher." released late in 1943. In 1944 he foUowed with ."Step Lively" and, at. Metro, in "Anchors Aw.elgh." On. the screen he was and will be gauged as an actor as well as /The Voice;" He came rate pictures with, a great fanfare and settled dowa J» . (CotfHmted on page IW