Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1960)

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4 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, December 27, 1960 National Pre -Selling " DEPE," reports "Life" in the Dec. A 19 issue, "is a supersized fantasy full of nothing but antic fun and frolic. As bright and happy a bauble as Hollywood has ever packaged for Christmas." This Columbia film "has dancing, singing, teasing tricks, stormy love between men and women, deep understanding love between a man and a white horse. Above all it has Cantinflas." A striking page ad on Jerry Lewis' "CinderFella" co-starring Ed Wynn, Judith Anderson and Anna Maria Alberghetti appears in the December issue of "Parents." • "Butterfield 8" the MGM film based on the best-selling novel by John O'Hara, is reviewed in the December issue of "Redbook." It has a cast including Elizabeth Taylor, Eddie Fisher and Laurence Harvey. The picture was made in New York with the actual locations used for many scenes. It is the opinion of the reviewer that "Miss Taylor gives a performance which proves she is an excellent actress." An eye-arresting photo of "The Misfits," starring Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable, appeared in brilliant colors on the front cover of "The American Weekly's" Dec. 11 issue. In the same issue there is a penetrating analysis of Marilyn's romances and why so many of them are selfdefeating. The article was written by Maurice Zolotow, who recently published a biography of this fascinating star. Edwin Miller has written an entertaining biography on Cantinflas, the star of Columbia's "Pepe," for the December issue of "Seventeen." Cantinflas went to medical school. He says "I didn't like it. Too much study." At 18 he joined a tent show as a song-and-dance man. Since then he has been in 20 motion pictures. In the George Sidney production, Cantinflas plays a Mexican ranch hand who follows his beloved white stallion, Don Juan, north after the horse has been bought by a Hollywood film company. • "The World of Suzie Wong" is much more effective than the play according to the January issue of "Photoplay." Most of the scenes were filmed in Hong Kong where this EastWest story takes place. Nancy Kwan, sensitive, slim and lovely, plays Suzie Wong in this Paramount picture. Walt Disney's "Swiss Family Robinson," which brings to life a story that has enchanted children since T E SIT TALK Variety Club News CLEVELAND Over $500 was raised in Variety Club's first drive in behalf of its new charity, Cleveland's Boystown. Report was made to Tent No. 6 by Leonard Mishkind of General Theatres and Jerome Lipow, branch manager of Valiant. In addition many needed supplies for the home were donated. The money was turned over to the house-father, Dave Rueteneik, to buy new Christmas clothing for the boys. A PHILADELPHIA Philadelphia Variety Club Tent No. 13 will hold its installation dinner in honor of in-coming Chief Barker Lester H. Wurtele, Columbia branch manager, on Jan. 16 at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel. He will succeed Martin B. Ellis, general manager of the A. M. Ellis Theatres. The Tent's Women's Auxiliary will also hold a dinner that same evening in the hotel's Burgundy Room. A TORONTO Students of Variety Village Vocational Training School for handicapped boys and Heart Project of Tent 28, Ontario, presented their annual Christmas play for members of the local Tent recently. Following the play, the women's committee of Tent 28 gave each student a variety of Christmas gifts and provided a buffet supper for all who attended. The new crew of Tent 28 will be installed at a formal dinner dance at the Park Plaza Hotel on Jan. 12. For the first time, the new president of the women's committee, Mrs. Debbie Green, will be installed along with the men. 1813, is reviewed in the Dec. 20 issue of "Look." Scenes from a race staged by the Robinson children with exotic animals illustrate the review. Janet Munro chooses a spirited Zebra as her steed, Tommy Kirk rides a reluctant ostrich, James MacArthur seems to have it easiest with a donkey, and Kevin Corcoran plods along on his pet elephant, who sprays the other contestants and almost wins— just as pirates attack their island. • "The Alamo," the John Wayne production in Todd-AO, is represented by a splendid page ad in the December issue of "Cosmopolitan." • An interesting article on Christina Crawford, daughter of Joan Crawford, appeared in the Dec. 11 issue of "Parade." She will appear in Jerry Wald's "Wild in the Country" and "High Heels." • A splendid full page color ad on Jerry Lewis' "CinderFella" created by Norman Rockwell appears in the Dec. issue of "Life." Walter Haas REVIEW: Ballad of a Soldier Mosfilm — Kingsley International The futility of war interwoven with a tender, poignant romance between the 19-year-old soldier of the title, Vladimir Ivashav, and a 19-year-old girl, Shanna Prokhorenko, highlight this finely made Mosfilm, the first Soviet-produced film to be released in the U.S. under the U.S.-U.S.S.R. cultural exchange agreement by an independent distributing company. Kingsley International is handling the picture in America under an arrangement with M.J. P. Enterprises. "Ballad of a Soldier" is the winner of "best picture" and "best direction" Golden Gate awards at the 1960 San Francisco Festival. It also has won two honors in the 1960 Cannes Festival competitions, for "best participation" and "best film for youth." The film, shown in its Russian version with the addition of English subtitles (English-dubbed prints will be used in its general release), follows a young Russian soldier on his few hours of leave, before returning to the front lines, where he is killed. The youth meets with several adventures which delay his meeting with his mother who works on a peasant farm, and with whom he is allowed but a moment for a combined greeting and farewell as he hastens back to war. The boy's meeting and falling in love with the girl are tenderly and grippingly depicted. While there is very little that is new in this exposition of the "futility of war" theme, it has been expertly and sensitively directed by Grigori Chukrai from a script written by him in collaboration with Valentin Yoshov. Chukrai uses his cameras very effectively, getting exceptional dramatic values through the use of closeups of his two youthful protagonists who are excellent in their respective roles. Running time, 89 minutes. Release, January, 1961. Sidney Rechetnik. Theatre-TV Record (Continued from page 1) of that city for huge theatre tv returns influenced the eventual choice of Miami Beach as the site for the match. With New York blacked-out last June for the second encounter between Patterson and Johansson, TelePrompTer, the closed circuit tv operator, produced a record dieatre tv gross of more than $2,000,000. The ancillary rights, which include theatre tv, had not been awarded up to the time this issue went to press. Feature Sports Inc., the promoter of the fight, said it is negotiating with several concerns. Motion picture rights to the two previous matches were obtained by United Artists, which presumably will bid again for the March 20 fight. Miami Beach's 18,000-seat Convention Hall will be the site of the bout and will be price-scaled for a $1,100,000 gate. Radio rights also are a part of the ancillary bargaining under way. 'Spartacus' Business Reported Big Abroad "Spartacus," Bryna production which Universal International has placed in roadshow release in 11 situations in eight key territories overseas during the past week, is registering maximum business at practically every piferformance, according to U.I. vice-president and foreign general manager, Americo Aboaf. In Rome, at the Supercinema, "Spartacus" has turned in the highest initial week gross ever amassed by a "spectacle-type" production. In its first five days in Tokyo, Milan, Frankfurt and Diflpeldorf, the film has played to new Scord attendances. In London, Sydney, Melbourne, Brussels and Barcelona, first week's receipts compare favorably with the highest grosses ever achieved by roadshow productions. Each "Spartacus" opening was preceded by yearlong advertising and publicity campaigns, climaxed by premieres attended by international and local celebrities. ,g Investment Report (Continued from page 1) ings," the Bache report points out, "with each company offering some sort of special appeal." Yet "We must not overlook the fact that the continual flow of profitable pictures adds both to the current worth of a successful company and to the future worth of its library." It adds that in this category three companies show up exceptionally well —United Artists with "Exodus"; MGM with "Ben-Hur" and Decca-Universal with "Spartacus," in each instance with additional successful releases augmenting the blockbusters. "Motion picture income of the three promises to be higher in 1961 than even 1960's banner results," the Bache report states. Of MGM it says "profits of over $5 per share seems a likely target for 1961." The recently announced 1960 profit of $3.83 per share set a 12year record for the company. Paramount Estimate Made Paramount's 1960 earnings are estimated at $4.75 against $4.47 last year, including s about $1.85 of special items last year "ancf slightly less this year." It estimates 20th Century-Fox 1960 earnings at about $2.20, against $1.78 in 1959. United Artists' earnings are estimated at $2.50 to $2.60 this year, compared to $2.41 in 1959, "with exceptionally bright prospects for gains in 1961." Universal's earnings for the year ended Nov. 1 are iwt estimated, but those of its parent, Decca Records, are placed between $5 and $6 for next year, "against $4.25 to $4.50 expected for this year and $1.81 earned in 1959." Warners' earnings for 1961 should remain at about the same $4.64 per share level that was earned this year, the report says.