Boxoffice-October.01.1955

Eiirl
Hal
Fred Zinnemann to Start
Series of Films for WB
HOLLY\VUOI> Anau^emcnts have been
compleU'd whereby Fred Zinnemann. film
megaphonist, will produce and direct a scries
of f 1ms under the banner of his newly
orRanized FRZ Co. for Warner Bros, distribution.
In announcing the signing of Zinnemann.
Jack L. Warner, executive studio head
HAT, for want of a better
at Warner
name,
Bras., said hi.-; first project will
might be termed the suspenseterror
drama has been a perennial
be announced shortly.
Zinnemann recently completed piloting the
feature film staple for these
Todd-AO entry. "Oklahoma!" for Rodgers &
many years. One
of the early colossals, and one fondly remembered
by the oldsters among 19'3 for his megginc job on
Hamnicrstein. He won the Academy Oscar in
movie fans,
Columbia'.s "From
was -The
Hon til Eternitv "
Petrified Forest," a film version
of the stage success, which Warners made in
'T by MGM. All the W.1V from Chamonix. Mi>nt Blanr,
1936 with Leslie Howard, Bette Davis and
Humphrey Bogart in the stellar roles.
Ca.ec44,iUjie j^ao^le^d. During comparatively recent months, there
seems to have been an abnormally high
number of such edge-o'-seat offerings. Among
East : I. Sponable, research director
them was "Suddenly." independently produced
for United Artists release by Robert
for 20th-Fox. returned to his Manhattan
headquarters after two weeks here checking
Bassler. which starred Frank Sinatra as a
on the company's new 55mm Super-Cinemahomicidal
maniac intent upon assassinating
Scopc camera.
the President of the U. S. Then there was
East: Walter Branson. RKO sales chief:
"The Night Holds Terror." produced by Andrew
Stone, distributed by Columbia, and
Herbert Greenblatt. domestic sales manager, the recipient of ringing acclaim because of
and Nat Levy, eastern division head, checked its precedentially-high quotient of engrossing
out for their New York offices after spending
entertainment and the startllngly-low
several days at the studio viewing completed budget devoted to its making.
product.
Now comes Paramoimt with its 64.000
goose-pimple entry in the time-honored
West : Wallis. independent producer cycle, namely "The Desperate Hours." which
releasing through Paramount, returned from coincidentally toplines Bogart—an appreciably
older and even more talented Bogie than
an extended stay in Europe and New York.
the one who chilled spines in the abovementioned
West: John Schlesinger of South Africa's
"Forest." Filmed in screen-filling
Schlesinger organization stopped off briefly VistaVision, "The Desperate Hours," produced
en route to Canada for business conferences.
and directed by William Wyler from
While in the film colony he declined comment an adaptation by Joseph Hayes of his bestselling
novel and enthusiastically praised
on the status of the sale of his circuit's theatre
holdings to 20th Century-Fox beyond the
play of the same name, is so impressive that
it
disclosure that notice of the pending deal
easily could be the hair-raiser to end all
has been sent to Schlesinger stockholders for
hair-raisers. And such superiority obtains
approval
as concerns
or rejection.
every element—scripting, acting,
technical and, above all, Wyler's incisive
piloting.
East: Lawrence Weingarten. MGM producer,
planed to Gotham with prints of "I'll
This department has never subscribed to
the practice of too many Hollywood railbirds
Cry Tomorrow" and "The Tender Trap,"
of predicting, throughout the year. Academy
which will be screened for homeoffice executives.
Awards nominations for scores of features
and performances. If all the films and troupers
so mentioned were given the coveted
East: Edward Muhl. U-I vice-president in Oscar nod, the lists of nominees would be
charge of production, and producer Aaron longer than a stuntman's dream.
Rosenberg planed out for Manhattan to catch
"
During the same week that "Hours was
the Broadway plays.
unfurled for the edification of film appraisers
in both New York and Hollywood, Jerry
West: Jules Buck, independent producer. Pickman, tack-sharp Paramount vice-president
arrived from Paris to seek a story and di-
in charge of drumbeating, was in the
-'*'
rector for the initialer in a group of films film capital. One of the obvious reasons for
^ which he will make in Europe, for Columbia his trek westward was to start rolling the
2*t release, in association with Louis Dolivet. politics and publicity procedures that result
in Awards nominations. In this connection
West: Eugene Zukor, Paramount studio
Pickman. and his minions at the Marathon
executive, returned from a three-week
Street film foundry, made no bones about
visit
to Manhattan.
the fact that the Wyler opus is the object of
"J
their affections and activities.
West: Don Hartman. Paramount executive Considering their past performances in
producer, returned from a key-city tour during
b.^oting home winners in the Oscar sweep-
which he plugged the William Wyler pro- stakes, and with a weather eye to the picture's
^J duction. "The Desperate Hours."
boundless merits, one could do worse than
wager a few bob that "Hours" will be substantially
represented
East: Producer Samuel Goldwyn
when the Academy
will leave
for Manhattan next week to attend the world
Awards ballots appear next spring.
premiere of "Guys and Dolls." his hlgh-
-^j
'_. budget filmusical which is being distributed
KruiK-r. rcinirs .i brcrry, KOMlpy approach to
si>:i('r-Mi;it