Boxoffice-Febuary.28.1953

. . Paramounts
. . Andrew
. . MGM
. . Walt
Hollywood Report
(Continued from page 22)
is preparing an untitled serial. At this point,
however, the cliffhanger was minus megaphonist
and cast.
20TH
CENTURY-FOX
Only one two-dimen.sional opus, out of a
total of four scheduled starting vehicles, Is
planned for production by this Westwood film
foundry, which will utilize its widely touted
Cinemascope process on two others and will
employ a stereoscopic (polarized) system
on another. Slated for Cinemascope treatment
are "The Robe," a Frank Ross production
in Technicolor, based on the novel by
Lloyd C. Douglas, and "How to Marry a
Millionaire," also in color, with Nunnally
Johnson as the producer. "The Robe," which
Henry Koster will direct, stars Richard Burton,
Jean Simmons and Victor Mature; "Millionaire,"
to be megged by Jean Negulesco,
is an all-star affair, among its topliners
being Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, Lauren
Bacall, Rory Calhoun, David Wayne and
Cameron Mitchell. The stereoscopic venture
is "The Kid From Left Field," a baseball
yarn, which was uncast as the month began.
A Leonard Goldstein production, it will be
directed by Harmon Jones. In two-dimension,
black-and-white, is "Vicki," a suspense story
with a Hollywood background, starring Jeanne
Crain, Elliott Reid and Jean Peters. Goldstein
produces this one, too, with Harry
Horner as the director.
UNITED ARTISTS
Two late-February starters, earmarked for
distribution through this company but not
previously listed, will be followed by three
more features due to hit the sound stages
during March. Already in work as the
month began were "War Paint," a cavalry-vs-
Injuns subject, and "Crosstown," a cops-androbbers
drama. The former, a Howard W.
Koch production, is being directed by Lesley
Selander, with Robert Stack and Joan Taylor
in the leads; the latter, being produced
by Edward Small, stars John Payne and has
Phil Karlson as the megaphonist. Small will
follow "Crosstown" with "The Steel Lady," a
PL.^QUE TO PRODUCER — Dore
Schary (right), MGM production head,
receives a bronze plaque and the commendation
of the American Legion of
Texas for his hard-hitting expose of
Communism, "The Hoaxters." Albert D.
Brown jr., Texas slate commander, is
shown making the presentation on behalf
of the 100,000 legionnaires of the Lone
Star state.
yarn about adventure In the Arabian desert,
featuring Rod Cameron and Tab Hunter, with
E. A. Dupont as the director. Stack, when
he finishes "War Paint," will go into "Sabre
Jet," a story of military aviation in Korea,
with Carl Krueger producing, Louis King
directing and Coleen Gray as the femme lead.
It will be photographed in Cinecolor Also
scheduled, although it lacked a cast and
director at this writing, was "I, the Jury,"
first in a projected series of whodunits based
on the widely-read yarns by Mickey Splllane,
to be produced by Victor Saville.
UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL
An unusually slow pace is in prospect for
this valley studio, which lists but one new
starting film. The newcomer is "Brady's
Bunch," a historical western in Technicolor,
co-starring Jeff Chandler and Maureen
O'Hara. The John Rogers production, which
George Sherman will direct, deals with an
army officer who enUsts the aid of the
Comanches to help put down an uprising of
other Indian tribes in the 1870s.
WARNER BROS.
One of the three pictures listed as March
starters by this company is from an outside,
independent source, Frank Melford Productions.
Tagged "Diamond Queen," it traces
the adventurous career of Jean Batiste
Tavenerie, who discovered what is now called
the Hope diamond while searching, in India,
for gems for the crown of France's King
Louis XIV. To be photographed in Eastman
color, the Melford entry stars Fernando
Lamas, Arlene Dahl and Gilbert Roland, with
John Brahm directing. The studio itself will
gun "Bm-ning Arrow," its second feature
WarnerColor, and "The Boy From Oklahoma."
Both will be produced by David
Weisbart. "Arrow," starring Guy Madison,
deals with a cavalry soldier who spearheads
a rescue mission during an Indian
uprising, and will be directed by Gordon
Douglas. "Oklahoma" reunits the star-director
team of Will Rogers jr. and Michael
Curtiz, who first joined forces to turn out
last season's "The Will Rogers Story" for
the company.
20th-Fox Buys Three Yarns
For Production in 3-D
Marking one of the studio's busiest periods
in recent months, 20th Century-Fox picked
up the film rights to a total of three storiesall
of them, of course, earmarked for the
company's Cinemascope 3-D process. Added
to Julian Blaustein's production docket was
"The Racer," a novel by Hans Rucsch about
automobile racing in EXjrope; Leonard Goldstein
will produce a comedy, "The Camp Follower,"
by Albert Belch, who was ticketed to
prepare the screenplay, and a western by
Margaret Fitts, "The Last Man in Wagon
Mound," is being drafted into script form by
Over at Universal-International
the author . . .
"Tacey Cromwell." a novel by
Conrad
Richter, was purchased for 1953 filming. It's
a story of frontier days in America.
Aaron Rosenberg to Make
'All-American' for U-I
Apt indeed is the title of Universal-International's
newly reactivated football yarn,
HONORED — Lawrence G.
Blochman
and Will Oursler, executives of Mystery
Writers of .\merica. Inc., honor Alfred
Hitchcock and .Anne Baxter at a special
screening of Hitchcock's Warner Bros,
suspense drama, "I Confess," co-starring
.\nne Baxter and ."Montgomery Clift. Left
to right: Blochman, Hitchcock, Oursler
and Miss Baxter.
"AIl-Amtrican." The Tony Curtis starrer is
to be produced by Aaron Rosenberg, a former
all-American grid great at the University of
Southern California, and will mark the first
directorial assignment for Jesse Hibbs, veteran
assistant director and also an all-American
at U.S.C. . . . Booked to a one-picture
. . .
deal. David Hempstead will produce "Hell
and High Water," an action feature, at 20th
Century-Fox
. Soil was tagged to
prepare the screenplay for "Lisbon," a Marty
Rackin original, as a Joan Crawford starrer
at Paramount . tapped Gottfried
Reinhardt to direct the next Spencer Tracy
When
topliner, "PUght to the Islands"
he completes the screenplay of "The Maze,"
a projected 3-D venture at Allied Artists, Dan
Ullman will pen "Annapolis '53," a story dealing
with the U.S. naval academy, for the same
studio.
Audrey Totter on Loanout
For Republic Picture
Borrowed from Columbia, Audrey Totter
will co-star with Alex Nicol in Republic's
prizefight opus, "The Champ From Brook-
.
. .
lyn" salmon-fishing yarn,
"Alaskan Seas," will have Robert Ryan. Jan
Sterling and Brian Keith as its topliners. The
feature is a new version of "Spawn of the
North," filmed some 15 years ago by the
company . . . Clifton Webb will portray Henry
Bergh, founder of the Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals, in "S.P.C.A.,"
an upcoming Leonard Goldstein production
at 20th Century-Fox . Judy Holliday's next
for Columbia will be "A Name for Herself,"
a romantic comedy with a Manhattan background,
rolling in May . Disney will
team Glynis Johns. British actress, with Richard
Todd in "Rob Roy.' Technicolor liveaction
costumer, which he'll produce on location
in Scotland.
Schine Will Prerelease
New 'Kettle' Picture
NEW YORK— Univer.sal-International
will
prerelease "Ma and Pa Kettle" for 50 engagements
in the Schine circuit, starting Friday
(6) at the Strand Theatre in Cumberland
and the Wicomico Theatre in Salisburg. Md.
General release will be in April as part of
the current U-I "Charles J. Feldman silver
anniversary drive." Other Schine houses
which will play the picture prerelease are
located in New York. Ohio, Kentucky and
Delaware.
24 BOXOFTICE
:
: February 28, 1953