Evening star., 1954-08-17

ment makes more sense than a
scenario.
Some Of these are the bankers
who put up the money before. q
motion picture can be made. The
report Is that it is q lot easier
to come by this financing than
it was several months back.
Some others of these are
traders in the stock market, vir-
tually all Of whom hope q stock
purchased will 60 up rather than
down in value. Their activities
have had theater chain snares
rising steadily. Stanley Warner
is up from a loW of $11.12k this
year to $18.25. RKO Theaters
from a low of $3.50 to $8.25.
Loew's, once this year down to
$685. closed yesterday at $17.50.
ABC-Paramount. awhile back
proud of a new high of $17.87h,
stood yesterday at $18.371a.
n ~
All of this is a fairly clear
indication that a great many
people think things are going to
get better before they get worse.
There is even a suspicion that
these large-scale films in the
summertime may re establish
the movie-going habit by the
time fall brings entertainment
back to television.
Two studios alone, MGM and
goth Century-Fox, are betting
approximately 500 million worth
of film fare this year that the
habit can be re-estab bliShed.
Metro will follow Seven Brides"
and "GWTW" with the Cinema
Scope Anscocolor treatment of
"Brigadoon." It has high hopes,
too, for "The Glass Slipper"
Deep in My Heart" Invita-
ton to the Dance" and 1.-THE
Last Time I Saw Paris" A little
further in the future it is lining
up "Tea and Sympathy" "Tea
House of the August Moon"
"The Prodigal" and ben Hur."
Before the year is out you will
see some of the major Fox eff
forts, too. Broken Lance" "The
Egyptian and There's No Busi-
ness Like Show Business" among
others, are expected to prove
bright CinemaScope- Technicolor
lures at the ticket windows. The
film version Of "Oklahoma!" and
Warner Brothers expensive re-
make of "A Star Is Born"
shouldn't be too far off, either.
All is not joy in the movie
world, however. The human race
being what it is, there are some
exhibitors who have a complaint
to register about the quality Of
the motion pictures presently
being showered upon them. The
films are too good-and too
popular. They hold over for
weeks and weeks and with no
new attractions. people get out
of the habit of going to the
movies.
ON STAGE-Robert Ander-
sons "All Summer Long" has
gone into rehearsal in New York
under the direction of Alan
Schneider, who performed the
same chore for the Arena Stage
production The next move, as
you hardly need to be told, will
be to the National Theater here,
for a two-week pre-Broadway
engagement, starting September
6. -. The portents are not good
for the NBC-TV domestic COM
edy, THE Marriage" one Of the
few bright spots of the summer
television season. It's stars, Jess
lea Tandy and Hume Cronyn. are
set for a 10-week tour with a
program of varied readings
shakespeare to Ogden Nash),
starting in October. Since this
will take them as far from the
TV centers as San Francisco and
Seattle, "The Marriage" seems
doomed. :. Today is a first ami
versary for "Kismet" to be
marked by the 300th perform
ance of the musical by Alfred
Drake and cast It has crossed
nearly So million since it started
on the West Coast last August,
which probably is a record.