On top of promoting a backlog of Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions films that were coming out in 1959–1960 ("The Rabbit Trap", "Cry Tough", "Summer of the Seventeenth Doll", "The Devil's Disciple", "Take a Giant Step" and "The Unforgiven"), Hecht was busy planning future United Artists-financed films from the H-H-L unit (including "The Way West"). He also formed a new film production company with Canadian actor Glenn Ford. Their first film together was to be Evan Hunter's novel, "A Matter of Conviction", concerning members of a Harlem street gang tried for murder (later released as "The Young Savages"). Glenn Ford had already starred in another Hunter adaptation, "Blackboard Jungle"; the film was nominated for four Oscars. Hecht was hoping that the new combo would be as successful and hired more top Hollywood personnel to work on "The Young Savages"; John Gay to write the screenplay and Robert Rossen to direct. But by the end of the year, Glenn Ford had left the project and in early 1960 Rossen dropped out to focus on his future Oscar-nominated film, "The Hustler".