DECEMBER

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20th-Fox Lines Up 24,iw
13 in Color, to
Lead Off in 1953
Daphne DuMaurier, whose thriller
"Rebecca," has become a film classic,
is the author of "My Cousin Rachel,"
which comes to the screen for the holiday
season. Olivia DeHavilland and
Richard Burton are the stars.
•a
Dan Dailey draws the starring role
in a comedy, "Taxi," and shown here
in a scene from the film are his comedy
comrades, Harry Clark, B. S. Pulby,
Stubby Kaye and Ed Nielson.
"The President's Lady," the story of
Andrew Jackson and his love for Rachel
Jackson, is due for Easter release. Stars
are Susan Hayward and Charles Heston
(at the right).
NEW YORK—Twentieth Century-Fox will
have 24 features for release during the first
nine months of 1953. Several of them will
be based on headline topical subjects and
K; v.lll be in Technicolor.
At lesst seven will be musicals or filmmu.sical
biographies, all in Technicolor.
Darryl P. Zanuck, head of production, has
chosen "The Egyptian," novel by the Finnish
author, Mika Waltari. as his personal production
of the year. Marlon Brando will be
starred and Casey Robinson will do the
screenplay. He also handled the screenplay
on "The Snows of Kilimanjaro."
One of the big productions of the year will
be "The Robe," scheduled for September prerelease.
Frank Ross will be the producer.
Preparations for this well-known Lloyd C.
Douglas story have been under way for a
long time.
The first three months of the year will see
offered such diverse films as "Ruby Gentry,"
"My Cousin Rachel," "The I Don't Care Girl,"
"Niagara" and "The Farmer Takes a Wife."
Also scheduled are: "Taxi," comedy-drama
starring Dan Dailey and Constance Smith;
"The President's Lady," with Susan Hayward
and Charlton Heston; "Nearer My God to
Thee," the drama of the sinking of the Titanic,
with Clifton Webb starred; "White
Witch Doctor," an adventure drama to be
filmed in Africa; "Pickup on South Street,"
starring Richard Widmark and Jean Peters,
a story of an ex-convict who became involved
in a spy ring.
Dramas with war or post-war settings will
be; "The Desert Rats," story of the man who
beat Rommell; "Man on a Tightrope," story
of a circus that played its way to freedom
from behind the Iron Curtain; "Destination
Gobi," outpost drama starring Richard Widmark,
and "Baptism of Fire," headlining the
Korean fighting and starring Victor Mature.
Among the period dramas and action westerns
will be "The Thief of Venice," starring
Maria Montez; "Treasure of the Golden Condor,"
Technicolor action story laid in Guatemala;
"The Silver Whip," "Powder River" and
several others.
The musicals in Technicolor will be: "The
I Don't Care Girl," "The Farmer Takes a
Wife." "Tonight We Sing," "The Girl Next
Door," "Call Me Madam." "Down Among the
Sheltering Palms" and "Gentlemen Prefer
Blondes."
Backgrounds will represent the Gobi Desert.
Korea, Malta, Egypt. North and Central
Africa. Niagara Falls and Guatemala. Korea
will be the locale of "Baptism of Fire," Malta
the scene of "Sailor of the King." Egypt that
of Darryl F. Zanuck's "The Egyptian" and
North Africa "The Desert Rats." Scenes will
bi- made in these places.
New Advertising Approach
I
Favors Regional, Local Help
NEW YORK—A new advertising approach
for the 24 features to be released during the
first nine months of 1953 has been work -d out
by Charles Einfeld, vice-president in charge
of publicity, advertising and exploitation for
20th Century-Fox.
About 80 per cent of the budget will bej
allotted to regional and local promotions and,
the field personnel will be active in securing
the best results with exhibitors at local levels.
The plan was first tried with "The Thief of
Venice," where representatives of Collier's and
Look magazines joined in putting ideas over.
Other films for the same treatment are to be
chosen.
National and local advertising concentratedj
in newspapers and Sunday supplements is
already being used for "My Cousin Rachel",
and holiday playdates for "Stars and Stripes
Forever" are being pre-sold by means of,
teaser ads in newspapers running three Sundays
in a row in advance of opening dates.
The Eva Tanguay biography, "Tlie I Don't
Care Girl," is receiving a record and sheet
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20th Century-Fox Executives Who Direct Production and Distribution
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Spyros Skouras Darryl F Zanuck Al Lichtman W. C. Gehring Chorles Einfeld Edwin W. Aaron Arthur Silverstonc
This cabinet of seven 20th Century-Fox executives directs
the production and distribution activities of the company. They
are; Spyros Skouras, president; Darryl F. /anuck, vice-president
in charge of production; Al Lichtman, director of distribution:
William C. Gehring. executive assistant general sales
manager; Charles Einfeld, vice-president and director of advertising,
publicity and exploitation; Edwin \V. .Varon, western
sales manager; Arthur Silverstonc, Canadian-eastern sales chief.
24 BOXOFFICE December 13, 195