Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1963)

DIVERSIFICAr In this scene from "The V.I.P.s," Paul Andros (Richard Burton) joins his wife Frances (Elizabeth Taylor) and Marc Champselle (Louis Jourdan) at the airport restaurant having just learned they have planned to elope. Other important roles are played by Elsa Martinelli, Margaret Rutherford, Rod Taylor and Orson Welles. Anthony Asquith directed this Anatole de Grunwald production. 'Diversification of themes marks the productions on MetroGoldwyn-Mayer's program in the coming months, according to an analysis of the lineup. The product ranges from serious drama to light, sophisticated comedy to fabulous musicals, all with the accent on boxoffice entertainment. On the immediate schedule are "The V.I.P.s," "The Prize," "Twilight of Honor" and "The Wheeler Dealers," to be followed by "Sunday in New York," "A Global Affair," "Doctor Zhivago," "Night of the Iguana," Irving Berlin's "Say It With Music," "Of Human Bondage," "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" and "His and His," but not necessarily in that order. Currently, the spotlight is on "The V.I.P.s" which appears to be destined to fill the coffers of both MGM and the theatres, judging by the early returns. Already, the picture is nudging records at Radio City Music Hall where waiting lines have continued since it opened on September 19. Filmed in London and starring a cast headed by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, the story tells of what happens when one of the famous London fogs closes in the airport and delays the departure of a group of passengers for the United States, changing the lives of each of the Very Important Persons. The other stars in the picture, produced by Anatole de Grunwald and directed by Anthony Asquith, are Louis Jourdan, Elsa Martinelli, Margaret Rutherford, Maggie Smith, Rod Taylor, Linda Christian and Orson Welles. The musical score was by Miklos Rozsa, who scored "Ben-Hur." "The Prize" has been produced against the Old World pageantry and formality of Nobel Week in Stockholm where six Nobel Prize winners live out some exciting days in the public eye. In the top roles are Paul Newman, Diane Baker, Edward G. Robinson and Elke Sommer. The story is based on Irving Wallace's hit novel as a hard cover book and now in circulation as a paperback. It is a Pandro Berman production, directed by Mark Robson from a screenplay by Ernest Lehman. It is in Panavision and Metrocolor. "Twilight of Honor" is a tense story of courtroom intrigue and political pressure and presents Richard Chamberlain in his first screen-starring role. Chamberlain, who rocketed to stardom as television's "Dr. Kildare," has been given a complete Sets the Pattern of Thei Production Program Fro change of characterization, becoming a hard-hitting defense attorney who battles prejudiced public opinion in a small town at the risk of his career to save his client from the gas chamber. He is surrounded by a capable cast including Nick Adams, Joan Blackman and Claude Rains and introducing Joey Heatherton, a talented young actress from the Broadway stage. A PerlbergSeaton production, the film was directed by Boris Sagal in Panavision. A gay story about the stocks and bonds game is "The Wheeler Dealers," a Martin Ransohoff production, based on a novel by George J. W. Goodman and a screenplay by Goodman and Ira Wallach. Produced in Panavision and Metrocolor, the picture has James Garner, Lee Remick and Chill Wills in the top roles and was directed by Arthur Hiller. "Sunday in New York" is based on the Broadway comedy hit which scored heavily at the Cort Theatre during the 1961-62 season. Produced by Everett Freeman and directed by Peter Out of some hilarious legal tangles, James Garner and Lee Remick come out the winners romantically. And so does Texas. Just some of the fun in "The Wheeler Dealers" in which three Texans (in background), namely Chill Wills, Phil Harris and Charles Watts, add to the comedy. 20 BOXOFFICE :: October 7, 1963