Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1963)

Czechoslovak Karel Reisz Completes All -British Film With MGM Backing Bronslon and Para. In 4-Picture Deal NEW YORK — Paramount Pictures and Samuel Bronston Productions have announced, formally, their association in the production of four major pictures with a total budget of more than $40,000,000. Reports that Paramount and Bronston were negotiating a deal for a closer relationship going beyond the distribution of “Circus World” had been in circulation for a long period. The four pictures in the announced setup are “The Fall of the Roman Empire,” “Circus World,” “Nightrunners of Bengal” and “Suez,” which Paramount will distribute in the western hemisphere. It was the first official announcement that Paramount would handle “Roman Empire,” although the company had listed that picture in Edward Hyman’s “orderly release” product book. “Roman Empire” will be launched on a hard-ticket, roadshow policy next year. The film has Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, Alec Guinness, James Mason, Christopher Plummer, John Ireland, Mel Ferrer, Omar Sharif and Anthony Quayle in the top roles and was made in Ultra Panavision and Technicolor at the Bronston studios in Madrid under the direction of Anthony Mann. “Circus World” is now in production in Madrid with John Wayne, Claudia Cardinal and Rita Hayworth starred, with Henry Hathaway directing. “Nightrunners of Bengal” will be based on John Masters’ novel and will be directed in Spain by Richard Fleischer. Preproduction planning has started. “Suez” is the tentative title of a story based on the book, “The Blue and the Gray on the Nile,” and will start next year in Spain. Announcement of the agreement was made following meetings in New York and Madrid by Bronston with Barney Balaban, Paramount president, and George Weltner, executive vice-president. Bronston said he had made the deal with Paramount because he and his associates were convinced that Paramount could offer his pictures the best sales, distribution and marketing support available in the industry today. CDA General Sales Meet In Mobile, Ala., Dec. 7 MOBILE, ALA. — President M. A. Ripps of Cinema Distributors of America scheduled a general sales meeting for key personnel Saturday (7) at the home office here. Among those expected to attend were Clayton Pantages, general sales manager; Pat McGee, western division sales manager; Ross Wheeler, eastern division sales manager; Frank Meyers, western field supervisor; Madolyn Babbe, CDA secretarytreasurer; Daniel Loventhal, CDA chief counsel, and Robert Steuer, executive vicepresident. The company’s new January release,, “The Flesh Eaters,” was due to be screened and the new promotion campaigns and company policy were to be discussed. Ripps has established a policy of meeting with his key personnel from all over the nation at least once a month. Minimum of 12 Listed By 20th-Fox for '64 NEW YORK — Twentieth Century-Fox has listed 12 pictures, including the rerelease of “The Longest Day,” for 1964, but there will be additional pictures on the schedule. Joseph M. Sugar, vice-president in charge of domestic sales, reported this past week that the 1964 lineup had an array of top boxoffice stars and was balanced with comedy, drama, romance and melodrama. He said it was the company’s strongest program in years and “we are confident that it will be one of the most successful ever to come from this company.” The releases by months or periods were not disclosed, but it was stated that the leadoff attraction for the new year would be “Move Over, Darling.” Others, but not necessarily in this order, will be “Man in the Middle,” “Shock Treatment,” “Third Secret,” “The Longest Day,” “What a Way to Go!” “Fate is the Hunter,” “Cassandra at the Wedding,” “The Visit,” “Erasmus With Freckles,” “High Wind in Jamaica” and “Our Mother’s House.” In addition, the release program will be marked by the continuation of “Cleopatra” in major roadshow engagements, with additional reserved seat runs still to be launched. Seymour Poe, Joseph Sugar Conduct Two Meetings NEW YORK — Seymour Poe, executive vice-president of 20th Century-Fox, and Joseph M. Sugar, vice-president in charge of domestic sales, conducted two field meetings, one in Chicago Monday (2) and the other in Los Angeles Wednesday (4). The sessions reviewed current and coming 20th-Fox product, including “Move Over, Darling,” the company’s Christmas release, and “Man in the Middle,” which is slated for release early in 1964. Those attending the Chicago meeting included Peter Myers, Canadian division manager; Robert L. Conn, central division manager; R. C. McNabb, eastern division manager, and William C. Gehring, southern division manager. Thomas O. McCleester, western division manager, attended the Los Angeles conference. Martin Grasgreen Named AA Head at Cleveland NEW YORK — Martin Grasgreen, who has worked with Columbia Pictures for the past 20 years, during the last ten of which he was a film salesman in Cleveland, has been named Allied Artists’ Cleveland branch manager by Ernest Sands, general sales manager. He succeeds Jerry Lipow, who resigned late in November. Grasgreen started in the New York home office of Columbia in 1944, worked as an auditor for three years, during which he traveled throughout the country, and, later, served as booker and salesman in Omaha and Indianapolis. NEW YORK — Karel Reisz, the Czechoslovakian-born producer-director who has spent his entire film career in England, recently completed his third feature film in Britain but with complete financing by the American company, MGM. The picture, “Night Must Fall,” based on the play by Emlyn Williams, stars Albert Finney, both also British. There’s not one American name connected with the picture, Reisz admitted. Since the picture was completed in August, Finney came to the Broadway stage to star in his London stage hit, “Luther,” and now his earlier British film, “Tom Jones,” is breaking records at New York’s Cinema I. MGM now plans to release “Night Must Fall” in February or the early spring of 1964 in order that Finney will be able to participate in the opening promotion. Finney plans to leave “Luther” late in January to take a long vacation trip. Reisz, who came to America with his wife, the former Betsy Blair of “Marty” fame, showed a rough cut of “Night Must Fall” to MGM home office executives and returned to England Thursday (5) to score and edit the picture. Reisz’ previous feature films, “Saturday Night and Sunday Morning,” which was also Finney’s first picture, was released in the U.S. by Continental Distributing in 1961 to great success, as was “This Sporting Life,” which Lindsay Anderson directed for him. Earlier, Reisz had made documentaries in England, “Momma Don’t Allow,” codirected with Tony Richardson in 1956; “Every Day Except Christmas,” coproduced wih Leon Clore for the Ford Motor Co., and “The Lambeth Boys,” made in 1958, which won the Grand Prix at the Tours Festival. “Night Must Fall” cost approximately $750,000 (inexpensive by U.S. standards) and has Mona Washbourne, currently in Hollywood making “My Fair Lady,” Sheila Hancock and Susan Hampshire as the feminine leads; thus Finney is the chief selling angle. For the future, Reisz has two unnamed properties for filming for his and Finney’s Radford Films. He has also talked production deals with 20th Century-Fox and with Sam Spiegel. His former plans to make an Australian film, “Ned Kelly” starring Finney, for Columbia Pictures, have been indefinitely postponed, Reisz said. Screen Gems 3rd Quarter Net Rises to $515,000 NEW YORK— Net profit of $515,000 was reported by Screen Gems for the first quarter of the 1964 fiscal year. The profit before taxes was $1,009,000. In the same period of the 1963 fiscal year, earnings amounted to $468,000. Jerome Hyams, executive vice-president and general manager of the Columbia Pictures subsidiary, said the figures indicated a continuation of the earnings growth of Screen Gems and represented a “fine start for the new fiscal year.” He said the per share earnings of 20 cents per share for the first three months of fiscal 1964 were the highest first quarter earnings in Screen Gems’ 15-year history. BOXOFFICE ;; December 9, 1963 7