Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-05-04
Adler, GenioI and Creative,
Is New Breed of Studio Boss
BY BOB THOMAS
Associated Pres Writer

BY BOB THOMAS
Associated Press writer
HoLEYwOOD.-There els
In Hollywood q stored
breed. the studio boss.
BY tradition, he Is an aloof.
semi : literate. hard : driving
tyrant with fearsome temper.
Yet the No. / production
man In movie today Is q
well-read. ar .ulate man
who is tru tworthy. loyal.
helpful. friendly. courteous.
kind and everything else Boy
Scouts are supposed to be.
To complete this picture Of
geniality, his name is Buddy.
Handsome. gray haired
Buddy Adler is production
chief at goth Century-Fox,
the only studio left in Holly
wood that maintains a full
scale. about program Of
film making.
Profits Show Worth
The measure of Adler's
worth is shown In 10Th
Fox's annual earnings. While
other studios dipped into the
red, 20th-Fox showed a profit
of SOS million in 1857. q
rise from the previous year.
Observers attribute the stu
dos success to the dynamic
leadership Of Adler, who has
plowed ahead as If no movie
depression had happened. In
contrast. MGM, Paramount
and Columbia have had rough
going because they couldn't
find strong, creative studio
heads to replace those lost
by deaths or flrings
The best production minds
simply will not take on the
headaches of trying to run a
big studio in a declining
market Then why did Adler
take on the big job 10
months ago?
Ego" he replies frankly.
That's the only reason I can
give. AS far as security for
myself and my family. I
might have done Just Is well
as an independent producer.
But as head Of the studio.
I am able to achieve In a
larger measure what gives me
the most satisfaction about
the picture business: ID
Helping to give birth to a
piece Of motion picture en-
tertainment. and (2) discov-
ering new talent"
Backs jeanne Woodward
At 20th-Fox, he has helped
give birth to such personal
productions as BUS Stop"
"Anastasia." Heaven Knows.
Mr.. Allison" "a Hatful of
Rain" and South Pacific" as
we'll as overseeing dozens of
other films made by other
producers.
The most notable Of his tall
ent discoveries is a brainy
Southern girl named jeanne
Woodward.
II can remember getting
excited about her in a TV
film Dick Powell made" sAd-
Ter says. Il showed 1t to
Daryl Zanuck. who was head
of the studio then, and said
I'd like to develop the girl.
He told me to go ahead and
sign her.
"She was here two years
before I found something for
her. When Nunnally Johnson
was preparing Three Faces
of Eve asked him to test
her. He did, and went wild
over her"
The result: An Oscar for
Miss Woodward.
Adler is the most success
full example of the new gen.
Grafton Of movie mogul, a
group that may or may not
save the industry from
threatened extinction. The
threat is very real. In 10 post
war years, population in the
United States rose IS million.
But weekly movie attendance
was cut almost in half.
Pioneers Fading Fast
The generation that built
the industry a half-century
ago is fading fast. The pio-
neers who remain seem I'M
able to cope with the chang
ing entertainment scene.
The situation is akin to
that N the auto industry,
which is about the same age
as the movies. The Henry
Fords and Louis B. Mayors
have gone. Now arises a new
kind Of manager, trained in
modern production tech
niques and promoted on the
basis Of talent alone (nepo-