Boxoffice-March.06.1948

: March
'I
PRODUCTION IN MARCH GAINS
WITH 31 STARTERS SCHEDULED
By IVAN SPEAR
HOLLYWOOD—After crashing in February
to a disastrously low tempo, unequaled
in years, the production pace accelerated
somewhat in March's early days
as a tally among major and independent
filmmakers carded a total of 31 starters
for the period. This represented a gain
of six over the previous month's 25 candidates
for the green light.
Those of statistical and pessimistic minds
among the film colony's railbirds were quick
to point out, however, that despite the
slightly increased output, Hollywood still
continues to hew close to the line as concerns
budgets and shooting schedules. A
breakdown revealed that of the 31 vehicles
poised at the starting gates, only 11 could
be labelled big-bankroll offerings, the remaining
20 being classified as programmers,
series entries and westerns. In short, although
quantitatively the March schedule
reflects an upswing, in point of dollars and
cents it is still well under the average for
the lush years of 1946 and 1947.
With the possibility, always constant, of
amendments either increasing or decreasing
the total as the month proceeds, the
is "Canon City," to be supervised by Bi-yan
Foy, with Crane Wilbur in the director's
chair. To be told in semidocumentary style,
it is a film version of the recent Colorado
jailbreak wherein nine prisoners escaped and
terrorized the countryside for days before
they were killed or captured. The other
studio offering is "Born to Fight," a melodrama
of the prize ring, with Chuck Riesner
directing for Producer Leonard Picker. Scott
Brady has the male lead. From Audio Pictm-es,
an independent outfit headed by
Perenz Fodor, will come "Children of the
Sun," described as a semidocumentary story
U-rs 'Kiss the Blood'
Starting This Month
Hollywood—Noteworthy on several
counts, in addition to the fact that it is
one of the month's few heavy-budgeted
film properties, is "Kiss the Blood Off
My Hands," due for the starting gun at
Universal-International as one of three
pictures to get under way at that studio
during the period.
For one, it marks the production bow
of Burt Lancaster, who not only costars
with Joan Fontaine but is a partner
of Harold Hecht in Norma Productions,
under which company banner it is
being produced. For another, it is a
screen adaptation of a widely read and
acclaimed suspense novel by the English
author, Gerald Butler. Miss Fontaine
was borrowed for the assignment from
Rampart Productions, another sharecropping
unit which she heads In association,
with her husband, WiUiam
Dozier, also a U-I executive.
lineup by studios includes:
Laincaster is cast as a London underworld
Columbia
tough who depends on violence
and even miu-der to solve his problems.
Program entries dominate the schedule
Miss Fontaine, a gentle shopgirl, is responsible
for his regeneration when he
here, with four subjects on tap. "Rusty
seeks refuge in her rooms while fleeing
Takes a Walk," latest in the boy-and-hisdog
the police.
series, got under way late last month
with Ted Donaldson, Sharyn Moffett, Ann
Doran and John Litel in the toplines, and
Directing the property for
and Hecht is Norman Foster.
Lancaster
Will Jason directing. Hobert Cohn produces.
In the "Crime Doctor" series is "The
Gentleman From Nowhere," to be produced of the Navajo Indians and
by Rudolph Flothow, with Warner Baxter economic plight.
their current
Chief Thundercloud, redskin
in his familiar role as the medical man with
actor, has the topline and Robert Tan-
a flair for amateur detection. From the sey will direct. John Sutherland Productions
Sam Katzman production unit comes "Sweetheart
will gun "Lady at Midnight,"
of the Blues," a romantic comedy
with music, toplining Gloria Jean. Arthur
a suspense
mystery, with Sherman Scott as the
pilot. The first of two from Sutherland, it
Dreifuss is the director. The Hoosier Hot stars Richard Denning.
Shots will be featured in "Texas Sandman,"
outdoor tunefilm in which Stewart Hart
makes his film debut as the romantic male
Film Classics
This up-and-coming organization, a comparative
lead. The Colbert Clark production will be
piloted by Ray Nazarro.
newcomer in the production field,
slated two starters. Phil Krasne's Falcon
Eagle Lion
Productions was geared to go with "Blue
Holiday," a new entry in the "Falcon" series,
A projected output of four subjects under
with John Calvert cast as the devil-may-care
the EL banner will Include two from independent
units and a pair from the studio melodrama in Cinecolor, was being readied
amateur sleuth. "Jungle Blindness," action
itself. Probably the most important entry
by Producer Sig Neufeld, with Frances Rafferty
in the femme lead and Peter Stewart
named to direct.
Independent
Cancelling previous plans to film it in
Italy, Rod E. Geiger leased studio space locally
for the production of "Give Us This
Day," film version of Pietro di Donato's
novel, "Christ in Concrete." Starring roles
are filled by Luise Rainer. Sam Wanamaker
and Albert Dekker, with a director and releasing
arrangements yet to be set. The
subject concerns a family of Italian laborers
in New York, their philosophies, struggles
and romances.
Metro-Gold-wyn-Mayer
The Culver City film plant is keeping the
production pot boiling with plans to launch
a pair of films during the month, both importantly
cast and in the upper budget
brackets. "Words and Music," a filmized
biography of the famed song-writing team
of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, will
team Mickey Rooney las Harti and Judy
Garland in the starring spots, with Tom
Drake in the role of Rodgers and 'Vera-
EUen in a supporting niche. Norman
Taiu-og has the directorial reins the Arthur
on
Freed production. The title role in
"The Story of Monty Stratton," which Jack
Cummings produces, goes to Van Johnson,
too, is a biography—the story of the Chicago
with Frank Morgan in a character lead. It,
White Sox pitching ace who lost a leg in a
hunting accident just as he was reaching
the peak of a spectacular sports career. Roy
Rowland is
Monogram
the director.
With no less than five subjects awaiting
the green light at month's beginning, this
studio established the fastest pace of any
company. From Windsor Pictures (Frank
Melford and Julian Lesser) will come "Michael
O'Halloran," new version of the widely-read
novel by Gene Stratton-Porter. To
be megged by John Rawhns, its only cast
members early in the month were AUene
Roberts, "borrowed" by Julian from his
father, Sol Lesser, and Scotty Beckett. "A
Palooka Named Joe," fifth in the series
based on Ham Fisher's comic strip, was
scheduled by Producer Hal E. Chester, with
Leon Errol and Joe Kirkwood repeating in
the toplines and Reginald LeBorg directing.
On deck for Pi-oducer-Director Will
Jason was "Street Song," the story of a
Congressional Medal of Honor winner, to
star Phil Brito, radio and screen singer. The
Bowery Boys were readying to go into "Smugglers'
Cove," with Jan Grippo as the producer
and William Beaudine piloting. Rounding
out the quintet, and the month's only
can-yover was "Stage Struck," with Jeffrey
Bernerd and William Nigh as the producer
and director, respectively. Starred are Kane
Richmond, Audrey Long, Conrad Nagel and
Ralph Byrd in a story of adolescent delinquency,
once known as "Where Are Your
Daughters?"
Paramount
.
The Marathon Street plant accounts for
two of the month's aggregation of starting
vehicles, one a newcomer to the lineup, the
other a carryover from January. The new
entry is "Tatlock's Millions," a Charles
Brackett production, with Actor Richard
Haydn making his directorial debut thereon.
The starring lineup includes Wanda Hendrix,
John Lund, Barry Fitzgerald and Monty
WooUey and the subject, a comedy, casts
Lund as Schulyler Tatlock, heir to a fortune;
Fitzgerald as his caretaker-bodyguard;
30
BOXOFFICE :
13, 1948