Boxoffice-January.07.1950

JANUARY PRODUCTION SPURTS
WITH 38 SUBJECTS TO ROLL
HOLLYWOOD—It could hardly be classified
as a boom, but in comparison with
the dismal low point recorded in 1949's
final month, the productional outlook for
the early days of the new year appeared
surprisingly promising—at least in the eyes
of those studio workers harassed by unemployment
and uncertainty during an unlamented
12 months when the entire picturemaking
structure was marked by
near-hysteria, widespread economies and
a generally laggardly pace.
Blueprinted for camera work during January
were 38 subjects, a healthy boost over the
meager 25 which, slated for launching during
December, registered an alltime low for the
year. At the same time, however, the projected
January output was considerably under
1949's best month—October—when a bumper
crop of 52 features hit the cameras.
Of the 38-picture total listed for the month,
27 are newcomers to the lineup, three others
hit the sound stages late in December, and
the remaining eight were carryovers from
previously-set starting dates.
The lineup, by studios:
Columbia
Reflecting the general productional upsurge,
this studio landed in a three-way tie
with Monogram and Republic for first place
as concerns the quantity of celluloid output
projected, with five subjects on the docket.
A late December starter was "One Way Out,"
co-starring Glenn Ford and Broderick Crawford,
with Jerry Bresler as the producer,
Henry Levin directing. The prison melodrama
casts Ford as a man sent to the penitentiary
for manslaughter and Crawford as the district
attorney who, after obtaining the conviction,
later becomes warden at the prison
where Ford is serving his term. In the tradition
of last season's successful "Fuller Brush
Man" is its comedy sequel, "The Fuller Brush
Girl," which has Lucille Ball in the title role.
Nat Perrin produces and the megaphonist is
Lloyd Bacon. Three other scheduled starters
—all newcomers to the lineup—^had one thing
in common at month's beginning: None was
equipped with a cast or a director. Producer
Milton Feldman accounts for two of them,'
"The Firefighters" and "David Harding,
Counterspy." The former is described as a
character study of a group of men working
in a fire station, dealing with their conflicts
and problems; the latter is a film adaptation
of the network radio show. The third is
"Atom Man vs. Superman," a 15-chapter
serial to be produced by Sam Katzman.
Eagle Lion
Slated for release through this company is
"Deadfall," an outdoor action drama projected
by Producers Alan LeMay and George Templeton,
with Templeton doubling as the director.
Starring John Barrymore jr., Kristine
Miller and Chill Wills, the vehicle is the second
to emanate from the LeMay-Templeton
combine, which recently finished "The Sundowners,"
also for EL distribution. The new
offering, to be photographed in Technicolor,
is slated to go into work on location in Texas.
PREMIERE PLANS SET—DetaUed
plans for the world premiere of "Francis"
were completed when Lieut. Col. Joseph
F. Goetz (center), chief of the entertainment
division of the U.S air force, met
with David A. Lipton (left), Universal-
International national advertising and
publicity director, and William Goetz
(right), production executive. Elaborate
plans for a planeload of stars and press
to attend the first world premiere of a
picture since the war, were outlined by
the trio. The "Francis" premiere is
scheduled to be held January 21 in Wiesbaden,
to be followed by another premiere
in Berlin and similar showings in other
military establishments. Wiesbaden is
headquarters for the USAEF In Germany.
Independent
No distribution arrangements have been
announced for "Destination Murder," a copsand-robbers
melodrama which hit the sound
stages late last month under the banner of
Prominent Pictures, an independent unit in
which Edward L. Calm and Maurie Suess are
the productional partners. Cahn also is the
megaphonist and the cast is headed by Hurd
Hatfield, Myrna Dell and Stanley Clements.
Lippert Productions
will be "Operation Haylift," marking the first
productional try for the veteran character
actor, Joe Sawyer, who also authored the
original. It's a topical yarn about the U. S.
air force and how it flew in feed to keep
thousands of cattle from starving to death
during the heavy blizzards which swept over
the northwestern states last winter. Air force
cooperation has been secured but, as the
month got under way, no cast had been
selected. William Berke will meg. Also on
the Lippert docket is "Highway Patrol," action
melodrama about the state highway poUce,
which was being readied by Producer Barney
Sarecky and will be megged by Sam Newfield.
Like "Operation Haylift," it, too, was
minus a cast.
Metro-Goldwyn-Moyer
Four subjects—two new to the lineup, two
in the holdover category—will materially assist
in keeping Leo's sound stages busy during
1950's first month. Newcomers to the dodket
are "To Please a Lady," co-starring Clark
Gable and Barbara Stanwyck, and "Right
Cross," in which Dick Powell, June Allyson
and Ricardo Montalban are to be toplined.
The Gable-Stanwyck vehicle has an automobile
racing theme, with Gable cast as a veteran
driver, and will be produced and directed
by Clarence Brown; "Right Cross" Ukevnse
is concerned with sports — this time
pugilism—with Powell portraying a sports announcer
and Montalban a prizefighter. The
boxing yarn, to be produced by Armand
Deutsch and directed by John Sturges, has a
New York background. The holdovers are
"Father of the Bride" and "The Crisis."
"Father," starring Spencer Tracy, concerns
the trials, tribulations and complications confronting
a proud parent in marrying off his
attractive daughter—Elizabeth Taylor—and
is a Pandro S. Berman production. Vincente
Minnelli du-ects. "The Crisis," co-starring
Cary Grant and Jose Ferrer, is on Arthur
Freed's productional docket, with Richard
Brooks slated to dh-ect. In it Grant portrays
an American doctor trapped between the
forces of a dictator and revolutionists in a
Latin American country, and who performs
a delicate brain operation on the dictator,
although bitterly opposed to everything the
strong man stands for.
Monogram
Five starters—a healthy total, indeed—are
blueprinted for January on tliis lot, running
the gamut from comedy to sagebrush and
outdoor adventure to musical. Four are carryovers
from previously announced starting
dates—"Square Dance Katy," "Henry Does
It Again," "The Courage of Captain Plum"
and "Border Renegades"—while a newcomer
to the lineup is "Jiggs and Maggie Out West."
Producer Lindsley Parsons is supervising
"Katy" and "Captain Plimi," the former a
This production-distribution organization hillbilly musical featuring Jimmie Davis and
is tapering off from the picturemaking Phil Brito, the latter an outdoor opus adapted
tempo estebUshed by it during December, from a yarn by James Oliver Curwood and
with two starting subjects scheduled as compared
to the four which were sent before the director's services early hi the period. Like-
toplining Kirby Grant. Both were minus a
cameras last month. First to get under way wise sans megaphonists were "Henry Does It
Again," tliird in the Latham Family comedy
series being produced by Peter Scully and featuring
Raymond Walburn as the small town
know-it-aU, and the new "Jiggs and Maggie"
offering emanating from Producer Barney
Gerard. The latter finds Joe Yule and Renie
Riano in their accustomed roles as the characters
made famous in George McManus'
widely syndicated Brmging Up Father comic
strip. "Border Renegades," a sagebrusher
toplining Johnny Mack Brown, will be produced
and directed by Wallace W. Fox.
Paramount
A contribution from Independent Hal
Wallls and two others from the studio's own
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BOXorncE January 7, 1950