Boxoffice-May.12.156

. . . Peter
. . Charles
. . Director
. . David
: May
i&act(m ^efiont
v» HINT that possibly the government
/jisi may have something to say about the
"Americanization" of the British film
industry was given by David Kingsley. managing
director of the National Film Finance
Corp., speaking last week on the annual report
to a selected group of journalists.
Kingsley admitted that as a result of the
increased number of British films being made
with the financial support of American controlled
distributing companies, fewer calls
were being made on the funds of the NFFC.
In the coming year, not less than one third
of the featm-e films made in Britain would be
financed by Americans. "I think this is a
most important issue that will have to be
considered soon," he said. Kingsley's statement
underlined the strenuous tussle now
engaging the industry, between those producers
who are making films through their
own British resources, and those whose production
is partly—if not wholly—the result
of U. S. finances.
The managing dii-ector of the NFFC, in
his annual report, noted that "British independent
production as a whole is still unprofitable,
and the present downward trend
in boxoffice takings is likely to continue."
Kingsley said that in spite of assistance
from the British Film Production Fund, only
62 out of a total of 152 films financially aided
by the NFFC in the four years from 1952 to
1955 were likely to be profitable. This is indeed
the very argument that will be advanced
many times during the coming months by
those who fear that the extra production
profits derived from the Eady Scheme will
be lost to these same independent film producers,
because the bulk of Eady earnings
will go to the more expensive spectacular
co-production features, which are doing so
w^ell in Britain at the present time. One of
the American companies whose features are
now enjoying lucrative boxoffice business is
Columbia, which plans no fewer than 18
Anglo U. S. productions during the next 18
months. All these films will naturally qualify
for quota and Eady money will be made on
By ANTHONY GRUNER
a high budget, with at least two top international
stars. The same goes for MGM.
who in cooperation with Sir Michael Balcon
and Herbert Wilcox, is restarting Anglo U. S.
production in a big way. 20th Century-Fox
is negotiating with certain independent producers
and will shortly (it is rumored be
i
following suit. Naturally, a feeling akin to
panic is beginning to grip some of the smaller
British It if producers. looks as Mr, Kingsley
and the president of the Board of Trade will
need Solomon's wisdom to sort out this
particular industry problem, which strikes
at the very heart of Anglo-American film
relations.
Rod Steiger, in London for a brief visit,
captured the imagination of most of London's
film columnists and received great editorial
coverage when Columbia, who is releasing
his latest pictures over here, "The Harder
They Fall" with Humphrey Bogart and
"Jubal" with Glenn Ford, thi'ew a party in
his honor at Claridges. It is usual at these
receptions for the male star, unless he is a
worldwide personality, to be surrounded by
the lady journalists, while their male brethren
cluster in groups round the cocktail bar, discussing
the latest film and press gossip. But
not with Mr. Steiger! This literate, thoughtful
and witty artiste found himself the center
of everyone's attention and the most lonely
people at the reception turned out to be the
waiters behind the bar. Rare is it indeed that
Fleet Street journalists let Scotch play second
fiddle to a Hollywood actor, but in the case of
Rod Steiger, such a sacrifice was well worth
while.
The Cinematograph Exhibitors' A.ss'n.
which has been battling against the onward
sweep of television, last week gave a sign
that some members of its General Council
were thinking very wisely about the medium.
It is now revealed that negotiations have
been proceeding with the BBC to try to
stop the corporation screening films which
CELEBRATING A NEW COMPANY—Richard Gordon, second from left, American
o-producer of "Requiem for a Redhead," first film of Amalgramated Productions,
clebrates at Kettner's Restaurant, London, on completion of the picture there. Others,
2ft to right, are Jack Phillips, general sales manager; Carole Mathews and Richard
H'lming, American stars of the film, and William G. Chalmers, the producer.
do no credit to the industry and would
naturally keep people away from their
cinemas. The CEA has offered to provide
20 feature films (selected in conjunction with
the renters) to the BBC, from which 12
could be televised at the rate of one a month.
The BBC, in its turn, would guarantee not to
show any other features except those vetoed
by the exhibitors. This is such a bold move
on the part of the CEA that when the rumor
of the current negotiations leaked from a
local branch, most people were inclined to
disbelieve it. If these TV talks are concluded
to the trade's satisfaction, it will be a great
step forward, and a sign that there are still
some broad and statesmanship minds at
work among British exhibitors.
News in brief: When Chief Barker Nat
Cohen and immediate past Chief Barker
James Carreras left Saturday, May 5, heading
a party of Tent 36 Variety delegates to
attend the international convention, they
were seen off by British Broadcasting Corp.
television cameras. Henry Caldwell, one of
BBC's top TV men, produced an excellent
film sequence, which was shown later on TV.
The film has been presented to Variety for
the private use of the Club, and was screened
at the Ladies' Luncheon at the Savoy Hotel,
when three nation celebrities—America's
Dorothy Dandridge, Britain's Merle Oberon
and Spain's Conchita Montes—were the
. guests of honor Laughton has
been signed by executive producer Sam
Spiegel as the first star of his Horizon-
British production for Columbia Pictures
"The Bridge Over the River Kwai." This is
Laughton's fu-st screen role for more than
two years. He recently has been concentrating
on direction and production in association
with Paul Gregory. In "The Bridge
Over the River Kwai" he will portray Colonel
Davidson, a British military leader who is
captured with his troops by the Japanese in
World War II and forced to labor in the
building of a bridge. David Lean directs
Finch has been given the leading
role in Ealing's "The Shiralee," the second
film to be made in cooperation with MGM.
(The first, "The Man in the Sky," is a test
pilot story starring Jack Hawkins) . , . Louis
Ai'mstrong, who arrived over here last week,
is organizing a special concert to help the
National Playing Fields' Ass'n and the Variety
Club of Great Britain . E. Rose is
in town for the premiere of his Coronado
Production's "Port Afrique," with Pier Angeli,
Phil Carey and Dennis Price . . . William
Perlberg of the Paramount producing-directing
team of Perlberg and Seaton is in town
for a short holiday . Billy Wilder
has been signed to direct the film version of
Agatha Christie's London and New York stage
success "Witness for the Prosecution," which
will be produced by Arthur Hornblow jr. in
association with Edward Small for United
Artists release. The stage thriller, set against
the background of the Old Bailey, was first
persented in London at the Winter Gardens
Theatre in 1953. Gilbert Miller opened with
the play in New York in October the following
year. It is still running there . . . Esther
Williams, the former MGM film star swimmer,
will be arriving in London to appear in the
"Aqua Spectacle" at the Wembley Pool, which
will be televised by the National Broadcasting
Co. of America under the title of "Aqua
Spectacle of 1957" ... Sir Laurence Olivier's
VistaVision production for Warner release,
"The Sleeping Prince," with Marilyn Monroe,
will commence shooting at Pinewood Studios
on July 30.
BOXOFFICE
:
12, 1956