Boxoffice-December.17.1955

NEWS AND VIEWS OF THE PRODUCTION CENTER
I
Hollywood Office— Suite 21H at 6404 HoUvwond Blvd.: Ivan Spear. Western Manager i
Cily of Hope Benefits
From Tattoo' Bow
HOLLYWOOD — Launching the holiday
round of glamor-freighted premieres. Paramount's
"The Rose Tattoo" was accorded a
red-carpet opening Tuesday (13) at the Stanley
Warner Beverly Hills Theatre, with proceeds
from the event going to the City of
Hope. The firstnighters included Hal Wallis,
who produced: Burt Lancaster, who co-stars
with Anna Magnani: Grace Kelly. Anne Baxter.
Jeanne Crain. Paul Douglas, Jan Sterling,
Shelley Winters, Marisa Pavan, Ben Cooper,
Wilham Bendix, Esther Williams and many
others.
A City of Hope official presented filmmaker
Wallis with a plaque commemorating
his good citizenship in turning over the premiere
revenue to the national medical center.
Wendell Corey served as master of ceremonies
at a lobby telecast covered by Station KTLA
and the affair was followed by a midnight
supper at the Beverly Hilton Hotel for the
film and society notables who attended the
showing.
» • *
Los Angeles will be one of the 150 major
cities of 56 nations in which the first global
premiere of "Helen of Troy" will be presented
January 26, according to an announcement
by Jack L. Warner. The CinemaScope-WarnerColor
production, directed by Robert Wise,
stars Rossana Podesta and Jack Sernas.
Meantime a star contingent, plus radio and
TV emcees, were dispatched to Zanesville.
Ohio, for the Wednesday 1 14 ) world premiere
of Warners' "The Court-Martial of Billy
Mitchell." starring Gary Cooper and produced
by Milton Sperling under the banner
of United States Pictures. Among players
making personal appearances at the dual
showing at the Weller and Liberty theatres
were Tab Hunter. Natalie Wood. Walter
Brennan. George O'Hanlon, Fred Clark. Rossanna
Rory and Gonzales Gonzales. Zanesville
won the premiere for top sales of Christmas
Seals in a contest sponsored by the National
Tuberculosis Ass'n.
• • •
MGM's "Kismet." starring Howard Keel
and Ann Blyth. has been set to open Thursday
(22) in 11 theatres in the Los Angeles area.
The Arthur Freed production, megged by Vincente
Minnelli, was booked into the Hawaii.
State. Bruin, Fifth Avenue, Crest, Center,
Covina, United Artists, Studio and Encino.
t • • «
'
Lexington. Ky., the turf-conscious capital
of the Blue Grass country, has proclaimed
January 11 "Glory Day" and w^ill stage a
civic celebration in honor of the world premiere,
oo.tiiat date, of RKO Radio's "Glory,"
produced and directed by David Butler and
starring Margaret O'Brien, Walter Brennan
and Charlotte Greenwood. Much of the
picture was filmed at the famed Calumet
farms and at last year's running of the Kentucky
Derby.
• • •
Producer-director Otto Preminger's controversial
"The Man With the Golden Arm,"
starring Frank Sinatra. Eleanor Parker and
Kim Novak, will make its local debut Monday
(261 at the Fox Beverly Theatre. It is being
distributed by United Artists.
Cartoonists Postpone
Scheduled Walkout
HOLLYWOOD — Pending a .scheduled
Thursday (15) National Labor Relations
Board hearing, strike action against Animation.
Inc., a newly organized video commercial
firm, was temporarily postponed by
the Screen Cartoonists Guild, which previously
had authorized the walkout. The SCG
charges that the Commercial Film Producers
Ass'n, of which Animation, Inc., is a
member, refuses to bargain on an individualmember
basis but insists on negotiations on a
group basis. Reportedly Animation, Inc., has
no contract with the Guild.
Meantime another organization of animators.
Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists Local
839, lATSE, will begin bargaining negotiations
in mid-January with the Animated Film Producers
Ass'n, which comprises Walt Disney,
MGM. Warners, UPA, and Walter Lantz.
PICTURE PLUG—When Mel
Shavelson,
center, was a student at Cornell, in
Ithaca, N. Y.. John Ryan was the composing-room
foreman of the Cornell
Daily Sun and Shavelson was a member
of the staff. Not long ago Ryan, now
owner of the Ithaca Theatre, played
Paramount's "The Seven Little Foys"
and billed it on the marquee a.s "Melville
Shavelson's picture. Here the writer displays
a photo of such billing to Bob Hope,
left, who starred in the opus, and Jack
Rose, Shavelson's writing-producing-directing
partner.
Jack Rayel to
Direct
CBS-TV in Hollywood
HOLLYWOOD—Succeeding William Dozier.
who vacated the post to become an RKO
Radio vice-president in charge of production,
Jack Rayel has been named director of CBS-
TV nettt'ork programs in Hollywood. Rayel
previously was an NBC-T'V producer, active
on the "Hall of Fame" series.
• • • r«
With Allen Miner directing.
Roland Reed-
Gro.ss-Krasne Productions has launched its
first jointly-produced telefilm series, "Test
Pilot," starring Preston Foster. An initial
schedule of 26 half-hour subjects is planned.
• * *
North American Film Corp., a new video
organization, has been formed by Edgar B.
Yuhl and Robert W. Larsen. both formerly
with Mercury-International Productions. The
company's docket at present includes a series
of spot commercials for the McCann-Erickson
Agency and 20-Mule Team Borax.
• * *
Jeanette MacDonald will make her TV
film debut in "Prima Donna." an original
by her actor-husband. Gene Raymond, which
rolls Tuesday (27) as an entry in the screen
Directors Playhouse series. David Butler will
be at the megaphone.
• * «
Production has been launched at the Hal
Roach studios on "Code 3." a new series of
39 half-hour telefilms. To be released by
ABC Film Syndication, the subjects dramatize
activities of the Los Angeles county
sheriff's
staff.
• * •
Screen Gems, Columbia's TV subsidiary,
inked Al Rogell to direct the Linda Darnell
starrer, "All For the Love of a Man." an entry
in the Ford Theatre series, and booked Ann
Sheridan to topline "East of Nowhere," a
segment in the Falstaff Celebrity Playhouse
program, produced by David Stephenson.
Williams Play to Screen
HOLLYWOOD—With Elia
Kazan producing
and directing for Warner release, and
Carroll Baker. Karl Maiden and Eli Wallach
heading the cast, filming of "Baby Doll,"
based on a play by Tennessee Williams, has
been launched on location in Mississippi.
Addresses USC Class
HOLLYWOOD—Film animation and America's
"growing trend toward contemporary
art" were discussed by Stephen Bosustow,
president of UPA Pictures, when he addressed
the department of cinema class at the University
of Southern California.
BOXOFFICE :: December 17, 1955 W-1