Boxoffice-January.03.1953

Paramount's 1953 Product
Strong on Color, Variety
Shirley Booth maki-s licr screen debut
in "Come Baek, Little Shcba," her big
Broadway success, co-starred with Burt
Lancaster.
Charlton Heston in "Pony Express, a
Nat Holt production, due in April.
Bob Hope and Mickey Rooney clown in
"Off Limits," a comedy also due in .April.
Below is a scene from "Jamaica Run," a
Pine-Thomas film starring Ray Milland.
NEW YORK—Paramount will release 14
productions between January 1 and the end
of June and has nine set for later months,
with more to follow.
Among the 23 announced are four musicals,
three with incidental music, four westerns,
two adventure films, two Martin-Lewis
comedies.
Ten of the first fourteen will be in Technicolor.
Outstanding among four scheduled for January
will be the sixth "Road" film with Bing
Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour,
"Road to Bali." This will be the first of the
series in Technicolor.
HAD 6,000 PLAYDATES
Also among the important January releases
will be Cecil B. DeMille's "The Greatest Show
on Earth," which had 6,000 playdates in 1952
as a prerelease at advanced admissions.
The other two January films are adventure
pictures, "Thunder In the East" and "Tropic
Zone."
After January, the releases go on a two-amonth
basis, with February bringing in the
first of two Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis comedies,
"The Stooge." The other, "Scared
Stiff," will be released later in the year.
Crosby's second film, "Little Boy Lost." also
will come out late in the year.
Hope's three, "Road to Bali," "Off Limits"
and "Here Come the Girls," also are widely
spaced.
The four musicals are: "Bali," "Off Limits,"
"Heie Come the Girls" and "The Stars Are
Singing." The last named will star Rosemary
Clooney, Anna Maria Alberghetti and Lauritz
Melchior.
Fourteen of the 23 are to be released from
January 1 to the end of June, with nine
undated productions from June on.
The dated releases are:
LINEUP OF FEATURES
JANUARY—"Road to Bali," in Technicolor,
the sixth of the "Road" series with Bing
Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour;
"Thunder In the East." starring Alan Ladd.
Charles Boyer, Deborah Kerr and Corinne
Calvet; "Ti-opic Zone," in Technicolor, a
Pine-Thomas production, starring Ronald
Reagan. Rhonda Fleming and Estelita. and
Cecil B. DeMille's "The Greatest Show on
Earth."
FEBRUARY—"The Stooge," Dean Martin-
Jerry Lewis comedy produced by Hal Wallis.
and "Come Back, Little Sheba," also a Wallis
production, starring Burt Lancaster and
Shirley Booth.
MARCH—"The Stars Are Singing." in
Technicolor, starring Rosemary Clooney.
Anna Maria Alberghetti and Lauritz Melchior.
and "Pleasure Island," starring Don Taylor,
Leo Genn and Elsa Lanchester.
APRIL— "Off Limits," Bob Hope comedy
with Mickey Rooney and Marilyn Maxwell
co-starred, and "Pony Express," in Technicolor,
starring Charlton Heston, Rhonda
Fleming. Forrest Tucker and Jan Sterling.
MAY—George Pal's Technicolor production,
"War of the Worlds," based on H. G.
Wells' science-fiction story, and "Jamaica
Run," also in Technicolor, starring Ray Milland,
Arlene Dahl and Wendell Corey.
JUNE—"Alaska Seas," i.i Technicolor, and
"The Conquerors," Pine-Thomas Technicolor
picture starring John Payne. Coleen Gray.
Jan Sterling and Lyle Bettger.
Releases set for later months are:
"Roman Holiday," produced in Rome by
William Wyler. and stairing Gregory Peck,
Audrey Hepburn and Eddie Albert.
"Arrowhead." in Technicolor, produced by
Nat Holt with Charlton Heston and Mary
Sinclair starred.
"Shane," in Technicolor, produced by
George Stevens and starring Alan Ladd. Jean
Arthur and Van Heflin.
"Stalag 17," starring William Holden. Don
Taylor and Otto Preminger.
"Little Boy Loat." Bing Crosby starring film
produced in France and Hollywood by Perlberg-Seaton.
ANOTHER MARTIN-LEHIS COMEDY
"Scared Stiff." Martin-Lewis comedy, produced
by Hal Wallis.
"Houdini," in Technicolor, starring Tony
Ciutis and Janet Leigh.
"Forever Female." starring Ginger Rogers
and William Holden.
"Here Come the Girls." in Technicolor,
starring Bob Hope, Arlene Dahl, Rosemary
Clooney and Tony Martin.
To merchandise this product. Paramount
intends to go in for more local and regional
promotions than ever before, according to
Jerome Pickman, vice-president in charge of
advertising and publicity. The theory has
been in the process of development for some
months and has been tested in local campaigns,
after consultation with local exhibitors.
The local approach, Pickman -says, will
help both Paramount and exhibitors to a
greater extent than ever. National pre-selling,
through use of magazines, radio and TV,
will be maintained on the same high levels
as in
the pa.st.
"Stars .Are Singing" gets into release
in April. The singing trio includes Rosemary
Clooney, Lauritz Melchior and
Anna Maria Alberghetti.
BOXOFFICE January 3, 1953