Variety (January 1957)

PICTURES Fifty-first . Anniversary Wednepday, January 9, 1957 All-Time Top Film Grosses [Corrected to Jan. 1, 1957] When a feature film grosses $4,000,000, or over, in domestic (United States and Canadian) rentals, that’s blockbusting. Variety's annual revised lineup of such tail-stakes releases is presented herewith, up¬ dated to include the 1956 starters and, as regards previous years’ en¬ tries, revised where (a) newly-added reissue money requires the rais¬ ing of earlier estimates or (b) over-estimates in past demand down¬ ward adjustment. Some smash 1956 boxoffice performers are excluded for the reason they’re not in circulation widely enough at this time to gauge the ulti¬ mate total grosses. In this group are “80 Days Around the World,” “Ten Commandments,” “Giant,” “Seven Wonders of the World,” “Ok¬ lahoma” and, perhaps, others. Still omittted from the record is D. W. Griffith’s 1915 “Birth of a Nation,” official records of which were not kept. Here are the stand¬ ings ( authority : this publication ). Gone With the Wind (Selznick-M-G) (1939) . $33,500,000 The Robe (20th) (1953) . 17,500,000 Greatest Show on Earth (Par) (1952) . 12,800,000 From Here to Eternity (Col) (1953) . 12,500,000 This Is Cinerama (C’rama) (1952) . 12,500,000 White Christmas (Par) (1954) . . . . . . 12,000,000 Duel in Sun (Selznick) (1947) . . 11,300,000 Best Years Our Lives (Goldwyn-RKO) (1947) . . 11,300,000 Quo Vadis (M-G) (1952) . . 10,500,000 Cinerama Holiday (C’rama) (1955) . 10,000,000 Samson and Delilah (Par) (1950) . 9,000,000 Guys and Dolls (Goldwyn-M-G) (1956) . . . 9,000,000 Caine Mutiny (Col) (1954) . 8,700,000 King and I (20th) (1956) . 8.500,000 Mister Roberts (WB) (1955) . . 8,500,000 This Is the Army (WB) (1943) . . 8,500,000 Battle Cry (WB) (1955) . 8,000,000 Bells of St. Mary’s (RKO) (1946) . 8.000,000 Jolson Story (Col) (1947) . 8.000,000 Shane (Par) (1953) . 8.000,000 20,000 Leagues (Disney-BV) (1955) . . . 8,000,000 Trapeze (UA) (1956) . 7,500,000 How to Marry Millionaire (20th) (1953) . . 7.200,000 Snow White (Disney-RKO) (1937) . 7,150,000 Not As Stranger (UA) (1955) . 7,100,000 David and Bathsheba (20th) (1951) . 7,100,000 Glenn Miller Story (U) (1954) . 7,000 000 High Society (M-G) (1956) . 6.500 000 I’ll Cry Tomorrow (M-G) (1956) . 6,500 000 Country Girl (Par) (1955) . . 6.500,000 Going My Way (Par) (1954) . 6 500 000 Lady and Tramp (Disney-BV) (1955) . 6,500000 Snows of Kilimanjaro (20th) (1952) . 6,500 000 Picnic (Col) (1956) . . 6, 300^000 For Whom Bells Toll (Par) (1943) . . . 6 300 000 War and Peace (Par) (1956) . 6250000 Welcome Stranger (Par) (1947) . 6100000 Hans Chr. Andersen (Goldwyn-RKO) (1953) . 6 000000 Hell and Back (U) (1955) . . . . * 6 000000 High and Mighty (WB) (1954) . i . . 6000000 Ivanhoe (M-G) (1952) . 6 000 000 Peter Pan (Disney-RKO) (1953) . ! 6000000 Sea Chase (WB) (1955) . 6000000 Sergeant York (WB) (1941) . 6 000 000 Seven Year Itch (20th) (1955) . | 6000000 Star is Born (WB) (1955) . ! . . . eioooiooo Strategic Air Command (Par) (1955) . 6 000 000 Tall Men (20th) (1955) . 6 000 000 Life With Father (WB) (1947) . 5 900 000 Rill* filrloc . o.J *uv,uuu 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. Blue Skies (Par) (1946) . ! . . 5 700000 51 ,M-G) il954) smm Sff V., J,9,4!! . . . • . 5.550,000 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. Big Parade (M-G) (1925) . ! ! . . . 5 500 000 House of Wax (WB) (1953) . 5 500 000 Eddy Duchin Story (Col) (1956) . 5 ? 00 non Rear Window (Par) (1954) . . 5 300 000 Blackboard Jungle (M-G) (1955) . 5 250 000 Unconqucred (Par) (1947) . . 5250 000 Yearling .M-G) (1947) . .... . 505K Moby Dick (WB) (1956) . i ; . 5 200 000 Magnificent Obsession (U) (1954) . ^nn’onn Meet Me in St. Louis (M-G) (1945) . 5 200 000 Mogambo (M-G) (1953) . ' s'onnnnn Show Boat (M-G) (1951) . . ^ . 5 200 000 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (20th) (1953) ..!!!!..! 5 100000 The Outlaw (RKO) (1946) . 5075000 Forever Amber (20th) .1947) . ! i'*. ' 5 050 000 East of Eden (WB) (1955) . '* 5000 000 Green Dolphin Street (M-G) (1947) . 5000000 Jolson Sings Again (Col) .1949) . 5 000000 Moulin Rouge (UA) .1953) . .. . 5 000 000 Mrs. Miniver (M-G) (1942) . ! . 1 ] ] ! ! . ? 5 000 000 No Biz Like Show Biz (20th) (1955) . . 5 000000 Razor’s Edge (20th) (1947) o.uuu.uuu 5.000,000 Red Shoes (E-L) (1948) . 5 qqq qqq Song of Bernadette (20th) (1943) . . .* 5,000,000 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. 102. 103. 104. 105. 106. 107. 108. 109. 110. 111. 112. 113. 114. 115. 116. 117. 118. 119. 120. 121. 122. 123. 124. 125. 126. 127. 128. 129. 130. 131. 132. 133. 134. 135. 136. 137. 138. 139. 140. 141. 142. 143. 144. 145. 146. 147. 148. 149. 150. 151. 152. 153. 154. 155. 156. 157. 158. 159. 160. 161. 162. 163. 164. 165. 166. 167. 168. Three Coins in Fountain (20th) (1954) . 5,000,000 Vera Cruz (UA) (1955) . 5,000,000 Man Called Peter (20th) (1955) . 5,000,000 Spellbound (Selznick-UA) (1946) . 4,975,000 Since You Went Away (Selznick-UA) (1944) . 4,950,000 King Solomon’s Mines (M-G) (1950) . . 4,825,000 Searchers (WB) (1956) . 4,800,000 Notorious (RKO) (1946) . 4,800,000 Yankee Doodle Dandy (WB) (1942) . . 4,800,000 Salome (Col) (1953) . 4,750,000 Battleground (M-G) (1950) . 4,700,000 Dragnet (WB) (1954 . 4,700,000 Annie Get Your Gun (M-G) (1950) . . . 4,650,000 Green Years (M-G) (1946) . . . 4,600,000 Conqueror (RKO) (1956) . . . 4,500,000 Rebel Without a Cause (WB) (1956) . 4,500,000 Anchors Away (M-G) (1945) . 4,500,000 Bachelor and Bobbysoxer (RKO) (1947) . 4,500,000 Bridges of Toko-Ri (Par) (1955) . . . 4,500,000 Catch a Thief (Par) (1955) . 4,500,000 Easy to Wed (M-G) (1946) . 4,500,000 Four Horsemen (M-G) (1921) . . . 4,500,000 Great Caruso (M-G) (1951) . . . 4,500,000 Paleface (Par) (1945) . . 4,500,000 Random Harvest (M-G) (1942) . . 4,500,000 Road to Rio (Par) (1948) . . 4,500,000 Road to Utopia (Par) (1945) . . 4,500,000 Thrill of a Romance (M-G) (1945) . 4,500,000 Till Clouds Roll By (M-G) (1945) . . 4,500,000 Valley of Decision (M-G) (1945) . 4,500,000 Desiree (20th) (1954) . 4,500,000 Easter Parade (M-G) (1948) . ! . 4’450|000 Cheaper by the Dozen (20th) (1950) . 4,425,000 Two Years Before Mast (Par) (1946) . . 4^400,000 Knights of Round Table (M-G) (1954) . . ... 4,400,000 Man With Golden Arm (UA) (1956) . 4,350,000 Man in Grey Flannel Suit (20th) (1956) . 4.350,000 Red River (UA) (1948) . 4,350,000 Hucksters (M-G) (1947) . 4,350,000 Harvey Girls (M-G) (1946) . . 4,350,000 Stage Door Canteen (UA) (1943) . . 4,350,000 Lost Weekend (Par) (1946) . 4,300,000 Sailor Beware (Par) (1952) . . . 4,300,000 Cinderella (Disney-RKO) (1950) . 4,275^000 Bus Stop (20th) (1956) . . . 4,250,000 Adventure (M-G) (1946) . 4.250^000 Egyptian (20th) (1954) . 4,250,000 Saratoga Trunk (WB) (1946) . 4,250^000 Streetcar Named Desire .(WB) (1951) . 4,250,000 Demetrius and Gladiators (20th) (1954) . . 4 250 000 Living It Up (Par) (1954) . 4,250,000 30 Seconds Over Tokyo (RKO) (1954) . 4,250,000 Rose Tattoo (Par) (1956) . 4,200,000 Hollywood Canteen (WB) (1944) . 4^200,000 Three Musketeers (M-G) (1948) . 4!20o!oOO Weekend at Waldorf (M-G) (1945) . 4,200,000 On the Waterfront (Col) (1954) . . 4 200 000 Father of the Bride (M-G) (1950) . 4,150 000 Bad Seed (WB) (1956) . 4,100*000 Man Who Knew Too Much (Par (1956) . 4 100 000 African Queen (UA) (1952) . . . . ! .. . 4J00 000 Hondo (WB) (1954) . 4,100 000 Joan of Arc (RKO) (1949) . 4 100 000 Johnny Belinda (WB) (1948) . . 4,10o!o00 I Was a Male War Bride (20th) (1949) . 4 100 000 Love Me or Leave Me (M-G) (1955) . 4 100 000 Margie (20th) (1946) . . . 4’l00’000 Mother Wore Tights (20th) (1947) . 4J00000 Snake Pit (20th) (1949) . . 4 100 000 Deep in My Heart (M-G) 0955) . 4,100,000 Cass Timberlane (M-G) (1948) . 4 050 000 State Fair (20th) (1945) . 4 050 000 Friendly Persuasion (AA) (1956) . 4^000 000 American in Paris (M-G) (1951) . . 4,000 000 Ben Hur <M-G) (1926) . 4 000 000 Dolly Sisters (20th) (1945) . 4.000 000 Emperor Waltz (Par) (1948) . 4,000 000 Holiday in Mexico (M-G) (1946) . . 4 000 000 Jumping Jacks (Par) (1952) . 4,000i000 Kid from Brooklyn (Goldwyn-RKO) . 4 000 000 Left Hand of God (20th) (1955) . 4.000000 Long, Long Trailer (M-G) (1954) . 4[000’000 Love Is Splendored Thing (20th) (1955) . 4 000000 Moon Is Blue (UA) (1953) . 4!000000 Night and Day (WB) (1946) . 4,000i000 Reap the Wild Wind (Par) (1942) . 4^000^000 Sabrina (Par) (1954) . 4.000,000 Sands of Iwo Jima (Rep) (1950) . 4.000i000 Seven Little Foys (Par) (1955) . 4,000,000 Singing Fool (WB) (1928) . . . . 4,000000 Smoky (20th) (1946) . 4.000 000 Ziegfeld Follies (M-G) (1946) . . 4,000^000 Subscription Order Form Enclosed find check for $ Please send VARIETY for □ One Year Q Two Years 1/9 P^RIETY Ine. 154 West 4tth /Street New York 36, N. Y. To Street City . (Please Print Name) . Zone . State . Regular Subscription Rates One Year— $10.00 Two Years— $18.00 Canada and Foreign— $1 Additional Per Year Never Saw Red In 10 Years Of Indie Films Hollywood. A global production program in¬ volving nine films costing $25,000,000 will be undertaken during the next two years by Hecht-Hill-Lan.caster. Indie assumes new corpo¬ rate setup after a decade as HechtLancaster. In first 10 years, Harold' Hecht stated at a press conference, firm never turned out a picture that did not show a profit. Initialler, “Kiss the Blood Off My Hands,” was the weakest with a final net of around $50,000. “They haven’t all been good,” Hecht admitted, “but they all made money. And we’ve got high hopes that our pictures in the future will not only make money but be good pictures.” As part of the company’s expand¬ ing plans, the search for new tal¬ ent will be speeded up under Max¬ well Arnow. Firm now has long¬ term contracts with Susan Harri¬ son, Marty Milner, Robert Vaughn and Joan Blackman and is seeking others. Hecht reported that the company plans a sort of “pay-orplay” contract with .its performers, under which H-H-L would have the right to prevent them from work¬ ing in outside pictures if salaries were met. . “We feel,” he explained, “that the company has an interest in the total future of these performers. And if the occasion should arise, we would prefer to be able to pay them rather than have them work in a picture which might be detri¬ mental.” Hecht Lancaster tag becomes Hecht-Hill-Lancaster with the for¬ mal ascension of James Hill to a partnership in the enterprise. He’s currently producing “Sweet Smell of Success.” Company’s two year program tees with “Devil’s Disciple,” film version of the George Bernard Shaw play, which goes before the cameras in March with Laurence Olivier, Burt Lancaster and Mont¬ gomery Clift already set to star and Alexander Mackendrick to di¬ rect. It will be shot on location around Santa Cruz and the com¬ pany has purchased property there and will build permanent sets which will be rented1 to other film¬ makers to “meet a big demand.” “Disciple” will be followed by “Separate Tables,” which Terence Rattigan is screenplaying from his own stage hit. Film version will integrate the two basic stories of the legit production and it will be done with five stars. H-H-L is asso¬ ciated in the current Broadway production of “Tables.” Others on the list for 1957 are The Rabbit Trap,” which J. P. Miller is screenplaying from his own teleplay, “Take A Giant Step,” based on Louis Peterson’s play about a Negro boy going through the pangs of adolescence, and “Bandoola,” which John Gay is writing. Latter will actually be a merger of material from Col. J. H. Williams’ novel of that title and Peter Viertel’s novel “White Hunt¬ er, Black Heart.” In 1958, H-H-L will launch “The Way West,” from A. B. Guthrie’s Pulitzer Prize novel. It will be the most expensive production ever undertaken by the indie with a budget estimated at $5,000,000. Lancaster and James Stewart have been set to star and the indie is talking with Gary Cooper for a third topline spot. Others on the list are “The Catbird Seat,” “Lucy Crown” and “Tell It to The Drums,” which Sir Carol Reed probably will direct. Hecht said it is possible that H-H-L may do one or more pic¬ tures away from its present United Artists releasing deal but nothing definite has been decided. Hill cited the extent of the com¬ pany’s search for new faces and emphasized that “the whole growth of the industry depends on the discovery of new talent.” Indicative of the indie’s growth in recent years, Hecht quoted from a telegram received that morning from United Artists, predicting a foreign gross of more than $7,000,000. for “Trapeze.” Global gross, he added, would probably be in the neighborhood of $15,000,000.