Boxoffice-October.01.1955

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TV Story of Jim Piersall
Bought by Paramount
still another literary property was plucked
from television when Paramount purchased
"Fear Strikes Out," the true-life story of
baseball star Jim Piersall, for early production.
Presented recently on TV's "Climax"
show, the yarn was published as a biographical
novel after being serialized in the Saturday
Evening Post, and was later reprinted, in
condensed form, in the Readers' Digest.
Piersall, an outfielder with the Boston Red
Sox. suffered a mental collapse as a victim
of amnesia. This necessitated a series of
electro-shock treatments that resulted in his
complete recovery. Don Hartman, Paramount
production chief, reported arrangements are
being made for Piersall to come to Hollywood
to be tested, with the prospect that he may be
inked to portray himself in the film, to
which a producer will be assigned shortly . .
Sam Spiegel's Horizon Productions acquired
"End As a Man," the best-selling novel by
Calder Willingham, which has been added to
the unit's docket for Columbia release.
Spiegel plans to lens it next spring after he
has made "The Bridges Over the River Kwai,"
on which photography—also for Columbia
is to start in December in Malaya . . . Another
novel found its way into the Hollywood
stockpile when Audrey Ei'skine Lindop's
tome, "The Singer Not the Song." was picked
up by Robert Bassler on behalf of his independent
Libra Productions. Now being
scripted by Allan Scott for shooting in Mexico
this fall, the opus concerns the battle
between a village priest and a bandit for
control of the people in a rural Mexican area.
MGM Plans Record Budget
On 'Raintree County'
Just how big a bankroll is being earmarked
for the opus was not specified, but that
MGM's projected "Raintree County" will
boast considerable magnitude was made clear
Foreign Talent Signed
By Warners and U-l
In their search for new faces, filmdom's
moguls are apparently concenti-ating
a substantial portion of their attention
on foreign talent, as indicated by
two newly inked commitments.
Rossana Rory, platinum-blonde Italian
actress, has arrived from Rome to start a
long-term contract at Warners. She
headed the cast of "The River Changes,"
recently filmed by Warners in Germany.
And. in his first film deal with an
American company, O. W. Fischer, said
to be one of Europe's foremost screen
.stars, was signed to a five-picture contract
by Universal-International. The
German thespian is said to be a "dashing,
forceful actor" who has a "tremendous"
following on the continent.
Neither Fischer nor Miss Rory have
been given assignments as yet under their
respective U-I and Wrirnrr tirkrt>^
By
IVAN SPEAR
when production chief Dore Schary announced
it will be the most expensive film
his company has ever made in this country.
That covers a lot of budgetary territory.
Being scripted by Millard Kaufman from
the 400,000-word prize-winning novel by Ross
Franklin Lockridge jr., "Raintree County"
is a story of the north and its people before,
during and after the Civil War. It will have
a minimum running time of three hours and
will be photographed in MGM's new 65mm
process. Elizabeth Taylor w-ill head an all-star
cast of 11 principals in the David Lewis production.
Byron Haskin to Direct
'First Texan' lor AA
Megaphonist ByTon Haskin has been inked
by Allied Artists to pilot "The First Texan,"
a Joel McCrea starrer in Cinemascope, which
will roll early this month . a
costume drama localed in 12th-century Spain,
has been added to Lawrence Weingarten's
production agenda at MGM . . . R. G. Springsteen
is directing and William J. O'SuUivan
producing a new Republic melodrama, "A
Shot in the Dark" . the casting front,
Wendell Corey was booked for the Glenn
Ford starrer, "The Rack," at MGM . . . Marking
her return to pictures after an absence
of several years, Gail Russell will enact the
femme lead in Batjac Productions' "Seven
Men From Now," starring Randolph Scott
for Warner release . . . Character actor Gene
Lockhart was added to the cast of 20th
Centiu-y-Fox's "Carousel."
Allied Ai-tists added another independent
property to its distribution lineup with the
announcement that it will release "The Four
Seasons," a La Salle production rolling immediately
w'ith David Wayne in the starring
spot. Josef Shaftel is producer and director.
Based on a story by Helen S. Bilkie. "Sea-
.sons" concerns the adventures of a prospector
in California's gold fields at the turn of
the century.
Screen Producers Guild
Starts a Scholarship
As a contribution towai-d the development
of trained motion picture manpower, the
Screen Producers Guild has established a
SI,500 scholarship in filmmaking for the department
of theatre arts at the University of
Califoi'nia at Los Angeles.
The scholarship, accepted by the university's
board of regents, will be administered
by the head of the department, Arthm- Ripley.
SPG president Samuel G. Engel expressed the
hope it would be a factor in "inspiring additional
creative activity" among students.
The Battle of Gettysburg'
To Be December Release
MGM's 'The Battle of Gettysburg," first
documentary featurette in Cinemascope, is
being readied for December release.
Written and produced by Dore Schary,
studio head, and directed by Herman Hoffman,
the opus was lensed at the Gettysburg
National Military Park in Pennsylvania.
More than 2,500 statues and monuments on
the battleground were used to tell the story.
'The Amazing Nelly Biy'
On MGM's Schedule
This, apparently, is the season for
globe-girdling epics.
For one. there's Michael Todd's filmization
in Todd-AO of the Jules Verne
saga, "Around the World in 80 days," in
which David Niven portrays the intrepid
Phileas Fogg, who some 70 years ago or
thereabouts made his frenzied fictional
trek to win a bet.
Fogg, however, was a bit of a slowpoke
in comparison with the real-life junket
made in the 1880s by Nellie Bly. America's
first great woman reporter. She did it
in 72 days.
Now MGM has scheduled a screen version
of that journey, "The Amazing
Nelly Bly," as a romantic comedy with
music, in which Doris Day will be the
title-roler. Based on a Good Housekeeping
story by Mignon Rittenhouse, it's
being penned by Ruth Brooks Flippen and
William Ludwig, and will be produced and
directed, respectively, by Roger Edens and
Stanley Donen.
John Beck Joins Warners
In Executive Capacity
Short takes from the sound stages; John
Beck, at various times a production executive
with Universal-International and RKO Radio,
as well as having been affiliated with MCA,
has joined Warner Bros, in an executive
capacity . Sidney Lipsitch has
been appointed an administrative executive
with the Hecht-Lancaster organization .
Officers for Curtleigh Productions, the new
independent unit organized by actor Tony
Ciu'tis, include—in addition to Curtis as
president—Manuel Schwai-tz, vice-president;
Myrt Blum, secretary; Roger Graham, treasurer,
and E. W. Wheeler and Fi'ed Morrison,
assistant secretaries. The outfit recently acquired
"Cory," a story by Leo Rosten, to serve
as its first venture . N. Reilly, for
five years executive aide to Dore Schai-y,
MGM studio head, is assuming expanded
duties as an associate producer on future
Schary productions, in addition to continuing
in his present capacity. His fu-st assignment
under the new arrangement will be "The Red
Car," a story of juvenile delinquency on the
highways.
Randolph Scott Scheduled
For T'wo More Westerns
There's plenty of saddle-and-stirrup work
ahead for Randolph Scott, square-jawed hero
of many a galloper epic.
Having just completed "My Gun Commands"
for Columbia release under the banner
of Scott-Brown Pi-oductions—in which
his as.sociate is Harry Joe Brown— the sagebrush
star has swung over to Batjac, the
John Wayne-Robert Fellows unit, for the lead
in "Seven Men From Now," which Warners
will distribute. He'll hardly have time to
reload his six-shooters after completing that
one before heading down Mexico way. in mid-
October, for another Scott-Brown venture,
"The Return of Custer."
This one, scripted by Peter Packer, is a
yarn about a man who searches for the truth
behind the tragedy immortalized as "Custer's
Last Stand." In Technicolor, it is set for
Columbia distribution.
22 BOXOFFICE :: October 1, 1955