Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1963)

— ■ By SYD CASSYD gLAKE EDWARDS will produce and direct “Shot in the Dark,” for the Mirisch Co. with a United Artsts release planned for the Sophia Loren -Peter Sellers-Walter Matthau film. The comedy was written by Harry Kumitz based on a French play, “L ’idiote,” and the original Paris and London locales in the play will be used. Starting date of November is scheduled. Following this film. “What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?” will be Edward’s next started for Mirisch . . . Laurence Harvey will have a co-ownership deal in his next property, “The Time of the Barracudas,” from the Broadway play, and owns film rights. Peter Barnes wrote the play, which will open in San Francisco in October, play in Los Angeles, and then open at ANTA Theatre, New York. The type of deal in which actors participate all the way is becoming current as they seek more independence. Along with “Barracudas,” Harvey will make another for Columbia, “Life at the Top,” with both on schedule for 1965 . . . Now we will have oil money flowing into Hollywood productions with Jack Grynberg, from Denver, involved with Alexander Ramati, newspaperman-writer, who have formed David Productions. Ramati has written a novel, “Beyond the Mountains,” which will be one of the first properties to be filmed, with “Rebels Against the Light,” the first feature film to actually go into production at a Near Eastern locale. 9 Gerd Oswald will direct the Europeanbased Trio Films production of “The Last 100 Hours,” a story of the last-ditch stand of a German company captured in Italy when World War II is almost over. The trio is a Spanish-Italian financed company. The original story was written by Stanley Kubrick. Tome of the mining of a bridge is based on a true incident in the war . . . Randolph Hood, who produced a family story picture causing comment here, has signed with Robert L. Lippert to direct two of Hood’s own screenplays, “The Trouble of Cousin Winifred,” and “Shady Rest,” the latter in conjunction with George Fass. Mi The success of raising money for a film by stock sales is being watched carefully here, as the application of Elite Theatrical Productions New York was made to the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell stock. The company is planning to shoot a film about African Congo painters in a coproduction deal with Cine Universal, Ltd. If successful, the entire pattern of financing of independent productions might result with direct appeal to the public possible . . . “Cosa Nosta,” the gangland empire receiving worldwide exposure from the United Senate crime hearings, has been registered as a title for a picture by the Mirsch Co. . . “The Working Woman” and “The Nest” have been assigned to David Swift for production and direction. He is currently at work for the Columbia lot, where his chore is “Good Neighbor Sam.” . . . Working closely with American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres and located on their Hollywood lot, is Selmur Productions, which has signed Phil Karlson as executive producer. Selig Seligman has put together a combina tion of feature and television producers such as Karlson who directed “Rampage,” “Kid Galahad” and “The Young Doctors.” The first deal will be “Alexander the Great,” which has been slated for television with features in the background . . . Edward Andrews will film “Sailing Alone Around the World” by Joshua Slocum. A New England sailor made the voyage back in the days when steam power was just coming in. George Montgomery is reactivating his independent production outfit and is currently working with Ferde Grofe jr. on two original screenplays. Properties are “From Hell to Borneo” and “Girl-illos.” Montgomery will produce, direct and star in both features . . . The diplomatic corps member, Raul De Smandek, formerly a consul in Los Angeles, is now producing films in Brazil, the country he represented in the film capital of the United States . . . Harry E. Eller will join Sidney W. Pink on the production. “Operation Delilah,” as a coproducer. The film will be lensed in Madrid . . . Robert Marcucci, Chancellor Records, continues with his plans to enter production and has signed to coproduce “Teenage Party-Crashers,” a story by Liam Sullivan, actor-writer who partners with him on production chores . . . Writer-producer Robert Pirosh, Cliff Robertson and award-winning cameraman Robert Surees have banded together to produce an independent feature production to be called “Wait for the West Wind.” New story purchases: “Kings Will Be Tyrants,” a Ward Hawkins award-winning novel, will be filmed by producer Curtis Roberts in association with Christian R. Homes and Arlene Dahl’s Dahlia Productions Co. . . . Brian Moore has completed an adaptation of his own novel, “The Luck of Ginger Coffey,” for Roth-Kershner Productions which is producing the film in association with Crawley Films Ltd. of Canada. The picture, which will be distributed AIP IS HONORED— James H. Nicholson, center, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, right, American International Pictures heads, are shown being presented an award by Melvin L. Gold, Associated Motion Picture Advertisers president, at Ampa’s luncheon October 3 in New York. The award was a salute to AIP which Ampa judged had made the most progress in 1963 with important film product. by Continental Distributing Co., will begin production in Canada immediately after the first of the year . . . “Storm Over Silver Peak,” Japanese-made feature film starring the Austrian Ski Champion and former Olympic Games gold-medal winner Tony Sailer, has been purchased by AlexanderFord-duPont, according to AFD executive vice-president, Alex Alexander. AFD also has acquired the worldwide release rights of “Ken Curtis Songs,” a new series of color musicals featuring the Sons of the Pioneers . . . Dan Lundberg, former news correspondent in Mexico for CBS during the early days of the United Nations organizational period, has sold his story, “River Rat,” to Universal. He will handle the adaptation of his property for William Alland, who will work with the production reins. Lundberg is a big wheel in public relations for independent gas stations in Los Angeles . . . Betty Ulius, a writer, finds her works in demand. “The Retreat,” a mystery story, has been purchased by Peer J. Oppenheimer and “The Journey Back,” another screenplay written in collaboration with Victor Stoloff, is being packaged by agency group General Artists Corp. 11" Castings: Annette Funicello continues to work steadily with “Who Killed the Kind Doctor?” her latest role in Hollywood. She plays opposite Gene Barry in “Burke’s Law” series . . . Producer Bill Redlin has signed veteran actor John Hoyt for the starring role in “Time Trap,” written by lb Melchior. The feature will be released by American International Pictures, for whom Hoyt costarred with Ray Milland in the soon-to-be-released “X” . . . Peter Fonda, currently starring in Samuel Goldwyn jr.’s “The Young Lovers,” has been offered the starring role in “The Fume of Poppies,” from an original story to be produced and directed by John Thiel, with British actress Susan Hampshire costarred . . . Carol Burnett will make three additional pictures for Paramount following the initial showing of “Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?” which marked her debut in films. The star is expecting a baby in January. She also will have a play under her belt, “A Girl to Remember,” before reporting to Paramount for her new picture stint, making her a real busy actress . . . John Smith, who costarred in the highly successful television western, “Laramie,” has been signed for his first major starring motion picture role in the Paramount release, Samuel Bronston’s “Circus World.” The young actor’s best-known motion picture role prior to his signing for the current picture was that of the young honeymooner in “The High and the Mighty.” . . . Hardy Kruger was signed by producer Tony Ades to star in Electra Films’ psychological thriller, “The Big Bite,” to be filmed in Paris. Jean Valere directs and Emmanuela Riva will costar. This will be Kruger’s first since the Oscar -winning “Sundays and Cybele.” Hrf “Miss Jude” will be a Universal publicity man’s dream with John and Hayley Mills playing together in the starring ro’es in Allan Brown’s coproduction deal. Edward Muhl who made the deal is said to be quite interested in the prospects of wide coverage of the unique tieup . . . Robert Taylor goes with “Thunder Mountain,” as his coproduction deal in his maiden effort as a producer. Herb Brenner, International Management Associates, is packaging the feature which is a World War II story by Richard Carpendale. 16 BOXOFFICE :: October 14, 1963