Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1960)

Thursday, December 29, 1960 Motion Picture Daily 3 TOP UN MONEY-MAKING STARS ROCK HUDSON CARY GRANT ELIZABETH TAYLOR DEBBIE REYNOLDS TONY CURTIS SANDRA DEE FRANK SINATRA JACK LEMMON JOHN WAYNE (I (Continued from page 1) her first picture, "Romance on the High Seas," for Warner Bros. Until then she was unknown to the public except as a singer. She spent almost eight years at Warner Bros., making some 17 pictures there. She left that lot in the Winter of 1954 for her first outside | picture as the star of MGM's "Love | Me or Leave Me," in which she portrayed Ruth Etting, famed songstress of the 1920s. Her talents have ' not been restricted to singing for a long time. She first played a drama1 tic role in "Young Man with a Horn" in 1950 and has since done "Storm Warning," "The Man Who Knew Too Much" and "Julie." Her performance as the distraught heroine of "Midnight Lace" won critical plaudits last I year. Hudson Former Double Winner ', In winning first place in the poll ! this year Miss Day edged out the ^ Number One winner last year, Rock "' Hudson, who nonetheless was voted I into the Number Two Spot. Hudson '' has led the Top Ten twice, the other time being in 1957, in which year he first appeared on the list. He has not missed a year since, having been J Number Five in 1958. } Hudson's big hit for 1960 was ] "Pillow Talk," in which he co-starred « with Miss Day. Coming up in 1961 S are "Day of the Gun" and "Come J September." It also took only one "blockbuster" to enable the Number Three star this i year— Cary Grant-to hold his own j again. The picture that did the trick was the phenomenally successful "Operation Petticoat." In Top Group Four Times Grant has been among the Top ! Ten on four occasions, the previous i years being 1944 (No. 9) and 1949 (No. 8). With "The Grass Is Greener" ' going out late in 1960, it looks a ; sure thing for him to be on the list next year, too. Returning to the Top Ten after having been absent last year is Number Four, Elizabeth Taylor. In 1958 ' she held the Number Two position. Credit for her strong showing this 1 year goes to two films— "Suddenly, ' Last Summer," for which she won an ; Academy Award nomination, and "Butterfield 8," which may win her the same honor in 1961. Her next role will be the lead in "Cleopatra." Miss Reynolds Again Fifth Holding the same spot this year that she had last is Number FiveDebbie Reynolds. This versatile young star (she is equally adept as I singer-dancer and actress) showed off her talents in 1960 in "The Gazebo," a comedy-melodrama, and "The Rat Race," a drama. The result: she's as big as ever with audiences and exhibitors. Joining the veterans on the poll this year as Number Six is Tony Curtis, who was chosen by exhibitors as a "Star of Tomorrow" back in 1953. In 1955 he was 23rd on the Top Money Making Stars list, and now five years later he has made his way into the circle of the select 10. One of the busiest stars in Hollywood, Curtis keeps moving from one major role to another. His successes in 1960 included "Who Was That Lady?" and "The Rat Race," the latter with Miss Reynolds. He is also credited with boosting "Spartacus," which had a few special engagements in the Fall of the year. Sandra Dee a Newcomer Another newcomer to the poll is Sandra Dee, Number Seven. Her appearance among the Top Ten is rapid indeed, since she was voted the Number One Star of Tomorrow only last year. This is reflective of the speed witii which her entire film career has moved; she made her debut only four years ago in "Until They Sail." That picture was for MGM on loanout from Universal; since then her home studio has starred her in "Imitation of Life," "Stranger in My Arms," "Portrait in Black," and the upcoming "Romanoff and Juliet" and "Come September." On loanout she also made "The Reluctant Debutante," "Gidget" and "A Summer Place." Sinatra Down a Notch Down one notch this year— from Number Seven last to Number Eight —is Frank Sinatra, who has been a Top Ten winner every year since 1956. In circulation for him in 1959 were three hits, "Never So Few," "Can-Can" and "Ocean's 11." At the Number Nine spot is another newcomer to the Top Ten, Jack Lemmon. He was pegged for stardom in the Stars of Tomorrow poll back in 1955 when exhibitors put him in the lead that year. A versatile actor, Lemmon had an extensive career in telev ision in New York before he made his film debut at Columbia in "It Should Happen to You" in 1954. Other top credits include "Operation Mad Ball," "Bell, Book and Candle," "It Happened to Jane," "Some Like It Hot" and 1960's "The Apartment," in which his performance earned rave reviews from critics. Wayne's Record Impressive John Wayne, the Number Ten Star, has been among the Top Ten more times than any of the others on this year's list. First appearing in 1949 he took the Number One spot three times over the years. And except for 1958, when he slipped just below the magic circle, he has been among the ten winners ever since. In 1960 he made two top films: "North to Alaska" and "The Alamo," the latter, which he also produced and directed, the culmination of an old dream. Minimum Wage (Continued from page 1 ) session's house minimum wage bill, said that "great progress is being made" in drafting a new pay floor law. He said that in all probability, similar or identical bills on minimum wages will be introduced in the House and the Senate." The bill is still being worked on jointly by the -staffs of the Senate and House labor committees and representatives of the incoming administration. Though Roosevelt seemed confident that the motion picture theatre exemption would continue, said he was unable to "give any idea at this time" as to the other industries that might be excluded from the law that will be proposed. Commenting on a report that Sen. Fulbright ( D., Ark. ) has said that he will urge President-Elect Kennedy to defer action on raising the minimum wage bill until after the U.S. has rectified its balance-of-payment problems, Roosevelt noted that Fulbright is on the Senate foreign relations committee and that wage legislation does not fall within the group's province. 'Eichmann9 Date Mar. 6 HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 28. The target date for getting "Operation Eichmann" into theatres was fixed by Allied Artists producers Samuel Bischoff and David Diamond as March 6, day when the former Nazi S.S. colonel Adolf Eichmann goes on trial for his life in Israel, charged with responsibility in slaughter of six million Jews. THE NEXT FIFTEEN Immediately following the box office champions in the Money Making Stars Poll were 15 stars, who are, in order as follows: Jerry Lewis, Glenn Ford, Paul Newman, William Holden, Kirk Douglas, Charlton Heston, Shirley MacLaine, James Stewart, Burt Lancaster, Joanne Woodward, Elvis Presley, Pat Boone, Yul Brynner. Robert Mitchum, and Gary Cooper.