Variety (March 1961)

‘Wednesday, March 15, 1961 _New York Sound Track Director. Henry. Levin. inNe y. to’ huddle with Metro. execs on Joe |: Levine’s:. “Wonders ‘of. Aladdin. ” He goes back to Rome this week for'| editing and dubbing : ... Henry Rosenberg arid Dan Talbot-(New Yorker Theatre) have taken over the Charles Theatre, N: Y. lower’ eastside _ Spanish pix house, It'll hence play U. S. and foreign revivals... Their ‘uptown: showcase, incidentally, snared. American -preem of the Polish “Kanal,” yia’ Jay Frankel, commencing May 9: Understood. KingsleyInternational will handle national release . . .. Diplomat‘decked “Man from: Emhassy” (Pictures) depositing leatherette attache cases at. Manhattan -tradepress offices. Each “case. disgorgedpromo material on| “Fabulous World. of. Jules Verne” ‘and. “Bimbo the Great,’ ” . Joe: Levine: -eombo which Warner's -is’ handling. . re Helen | Bow er, for the past ‘15 years ‘film’ critic for the Detroit Fiee: “Press, retired. last: week after 47 years as reporter and critic ‘for the. newspaper: She was: honored at aluncheon, Sponsored | by the Variety Club of Detroit. . -Michigan | ‘Kroll,formerly. ‘in charge ‘of: ‘women's’ “programs at CBS,,. more recently writing documentary films, quitting N, ¥. Hospital this week following ‘surgery.......Authors Guild hosting. cocktail party at. Lotus Club on East 66th Street. this (Wed.) afternoon, 4-6, for visiting book. reyiewers from all-over U.S. Helping trafficweary . showfolk get in and out ‘of Manhattan ‘and environs these days is a somewhat offbeat transportation operation known as The Air Taxi Company, the nation’s largest air taxi service run by an: _ex-Navy” fiyer, ‘James Loeb. With headquarters in Red Bank, N.. J.,.company’s main business is in the feeding of passengers to regularly scheduled airlines, but it also undertakes longer journeys | around ‘the country. Among. its: “T-have-to-get-there-in-a-hurry” patrons are Spyros P. Skouras, John Daly, Toots Shor, ° ‘Van Cliburn, Joe Mankiewicz, George Jessel and Miss Rheingold. . “Cy “Harvey; Janus Films, expects to bring over’: director Michael-_ angelo Antonioni and star Monica Vietti for opening of the Italianmade “L’Avventure”..at the Beekman. Meanwhile, Janus’ French import, “Bernadette of Lourdes,” in dubbed version, will bypass the arties:: for a general release: starting next month. Daniele Ajoret, -who plays } Bernadette, is doubling in: brass by promoting the pic in course of her | current tour this side as-a member of the Comedie. Francaise troupe. Ever since the N. Y. Sunday Times magazine had a layout on “decor in the modern living,” utilizing the Mo Rothmans’ 5th Aye. apartment: as a.theme, their friends want to audition the new digs. Result is that the Columbia Pietures International prexy. is throwing a big’ cocktailery for the “preview” and also a quasi-bon voyage, since he's taking | an roe Patrick's Day on one of his: periodic ‘European 0.0. quickie | ights Aaron Copland will compose the score for the UA-Prometheus {Jack Garfein-Carroll Baker) release, “Something Wild,” which: was shot. entirely in N.Y... “Importer Ed Kingsley, prexy has more pix first-run in N. Y. right now than some.major distribs—“Love and the Frenchwoman,” “League of: Geritleman”. and “Ballad: of A Soldier.” Exec called attention to. this situation, plus’ fact that. he’ll‘soon also. have “La Verite”. on display,: jn'a half-pagead in Sunday’s‘(12) Times... Yul Brynner is scheduled to fly in from Europe for the March 23 benefit opening of "The King. and I” in Grandeur. 70 at.the Rivoli. . “Go Naked in the World” at Capitol for three weeks,--marking time | till: “One-Eyed Jacks". Howard Hawks in from Africa locationing | ‘of “Hatari”. Martin Davis back at the Paramount homeoftice after Acapulco loafing. Teresa Stratas, soprano born ‘in Canada of Greek. parentage and cast : as an Indian (sic} in'20th’s “The Canadians” starring Robert Ryan, sang the slave girl in Turandot” at the Met. Opera March .9. Rep.. James C. ‘Corman [D-Calif.) urged U. S. House. and Senate ' tembers last week, in a Congressional Record inseftion, to watch the. Academy Awards’ “presentation. on television on April 17, climaxing a “hallmark .year” for the film industry.. Congressman, whose district includes most ‘studios, . called U. S. motion pictures the ‘ ‘finest: in the . world” and said they are “America’s. best known export.” Pandro Berman formed: Roxbury. Productions as new banner to make { two pix for Metro, initialer to. be “Sweet Bird of. Youth,”* Richard | Brooks to direct . . . Berman cancelled plans. for producing: “Turning cof the Wheels,” Stuart Cloete novel of Africa which was to have been | second film, due to. trouble on Dark Continent . : 7 Dean Jagger inked. for Metro's “Honeymoon Machine”... . John Beck bought film rights to “Weekend: Father,” -novel by late Dané Lussier, for indie production. .-. «Morouf,” novel: by Benjamin. Baland, acquired by Eugene Lourie, who produced’ “Gorga” last year, for co-production. -with Unidex of. Paris in India.and-Rome this summer:... . John Cassavetes. cast Seymour Cassel,. his aide, for a top role in ‘his. upeoming Paramount -release,: “Too Late Blues,” starring Bobby Darin and Stella Stevens. ‘Recently he was named .a Commander of the Order of the British : : Empire, and now: he's named, via. the Italian consul in L. A., Com-! mendatore of the Ordine Al Merito. And at the same time. Jack L. | “Warner is. ‘relinquishing, the theatrical. production reins. Theback}. _ slapping derives from ‘his contributions to international understanding : through: motion pictures: A first novel. as yet ‘untitled and unfinished, by Mrs. Elsie. ‘Mack. of i London, Ont.,. has-been accepted by Doubleday, : ‘and is being glommed j reeord albums, Geto pointed ont | in | that these items are around in: and Edward Anhalt, winner auto by 20th-Fox. It's based on the New Testament story of the woman caught in adultery, whom Jesus protected from:a miniature Iyneh mob, ‘with the words, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” . Joseph T. Lissauer; gen. mgr. of Skirball. Bros.. -theatres. headquar> ‘tered. in Cleveland. is flaunting ‘a letter from: Al Boudouris. of Theatre : Operating Co. of Toledo hailing remodeled Pantheon in latter. city as “asset’" to Toledo. and further praof that film biz is: “one of finest to be in this world.” : Bud Yorkin and Norman Lear; as Tandem’ Productions, have purchased. “Girl in the Turquoise Bikini” for. lensing next spring..: ‘Their first; “‘Come-Blow Your Horn,” current Broadway ‘comedy, goes. before : the cameras. this.fall, with Paramount to release . . . Maria-Schell-and | G. W. Fischer are costarred in a German version of: “The. Four-Poster,’ ”. mow shooling . “Larry Moss, veep of B. S.. Moss Enterprises, on a swing of. circuit: operations in the south , . . Robert Mitchum gets “Personality of the Year” -honorarium from Maryland. Theatre Ow ners | _ Assn. . New Opera House. Theatre in Morgan: City; La., signed up’ “with TOA . Dick Gabe electéd prez of the Conference of Personal. Managers, : East, vice: Kal Ross . . . U's “Great Impostor” day-dates at the RKO Palace and Trans-Lux 85th Street March 29.. _” Shirley Jones honored by-her hometown, Smithton; Pa., as “honorary “chief librarian” —yep; role sheplays in “Music Man’: pictur ization. ‘James Wooif: sct up. shop ‘on Werners’ Burbank -lot where he’s. pro rl al WOKS MOSTLY GOPY? To an important extent, the increasingly articulate ‘eriticism of the trend toward. adult-themed pix is not prompted by the films them selves. so ‘much as their ad cam paigns. -A large number of do| Zooders, defenders of the public morals, taste-w: atchers, ete. mever bother to go to the movies. -Beeause of this, it’s’ extremely necessary at this time for film makers to make sure that their ad campaigns are not only lively and: provocative, but. honest and tasteful, a true presentation of the product ‘at hand. Point was made in New York last Thursday (9) by Al Geto, industry ad man who, with Walter Blake, has just formed & ‘new .copy-art office known as The Freelancers. ‘Geto, who has. served in the creative departments of the Monroe Greenthal Agency. and Donahue & Coe, and recently. completed 2 public relations stint with the. Motion Picture Assn: of America, also puts it this way: “The poetry has gone out of advertising.” Tired Precedents Today, he says, the man who ‘designs a film’s ad. campaign faces an acctimulation of problems, including the need to get away from the heritage of ad. cliches which ‘have been handed down from pic ) to-pic ever since films went to feature. length. Also, given @ truly adult-themed pic (and,. he points out, this need not only mean sex themed), the ad man must come. up with. an approach which tells the facts, but still doesn’t alienate. The: reasons for the over-use of sex: in advertising is understandable, hé continues, because sex does: have a ‘certain attraction. Too: often, however, it has boomeranged, either because it was too blatant, or because it actually wasn’t a key or representative ele‘ment to the film being sold. A classic “boomerang,” he ‘noted, {was a film feleased several years ! ago which dealt with the life of one : -of the greatest painters of all time. ‘The distrib was scared of it and ' “decided to go all-out on the sex-} ‘sell. The boxoffice result was dis; ‘aster. According to Geto, the dis; trib, by denigrating both the sub-! ject matter (the great painter) and! {the public, the distrib did even. worse than was absolutely. neces‘sary,. alienating that part of. the public which resented the sex-sell as well as others who might have been interested in a serious film bio’ of the painter. Why Clutter? The film. ad man, he says,. some{times gets: caught in the. middle, i since he has ‘not made the film and | is only presented with a fait accompli with. which ta work. Taking note of the increasingly attractive, METRO STRATEGY MEET Terry Turner Handling TV Exploitation for ‘Gorgo’ Meeting of Metro etro division branch and homeoffice execs at New York’s Hotel Astor last week focused major attention on marketing plans. for current and upcoming theatricals on the Ilneup, including the roadshowing of “King of Kings,” the continuing “Ben-Hur” and. “Cimarron,” the reissue of “Gone With the Wind,” and others. At a separate homeoffice meeting presided over by sales veep Beb Mochrie, attention centered on releasing the King Brothers’ production of “Gorgo,” which has had only one date so far. Film is to get the saturation-booking treatment, territory-by-territory around the country. Starts off March 29 in 100 theatres in the N.Y. area, followed by 50 spots in Chicago March 31, and 50 around New England April 19. Terry Turner has been assigned by M-G to supervise the television and exploitation campaign. Rembrandt of N.Y. ToDo Tom-Jerry Shorts Overseas Bill Snyder’s deal with Metro for production of new Tom & Jerry eartoons in Europe, closed more than six months ago, was confirmed by Robert Mochrie, sales veepee, to more than 75 delegates last week before winding two-day sales sesa at Astor Hotel. During past several years Metro has been reissuing Tom-Jerrys in color and other shorts. About five years ago Metro cur‘tailed all shorts production when $30,000 minimum cost per subject ‘was found prohibitive. Snyder, through his Rembrandt Films, has !produced cartoons abroad for half iMetro’s tally sheets. He’s been iquietly making T & J's to build i backlog for one a month release, starting ‘May3, 3. WRITERS GUILD SLATES SET: ELECT MAY 18 ‘Hollywood, March 14. New officer candidates and board members of the Writers Guild of ‘America, East and West, to be votjed upon at the annual meeting May 18, have been named. Candidates for guild president . | “Ballad of A Soldier’’ PICTURES 13 , EXCEPT IN ADS Soviets Shrewd Showmen? Did They Guess Success of ‘Cranes’ and ‘Ballad’ In U.S.—Though Neither Rated High in Russia The two most highly praised (by U.S. critics) of recent Soviet films —‘The Cranes Are Flying” and —are not fit for “home consumption” from the Soviet point of view, according to an article entitled “Soviet Motion Picture Requirements” by Arkady Gaev. Gaev is a former Sovict’ journalist who now writes for the Institute for the Study of the USSR, made up of scholars who have left the Soviet Union. Despite the fact that “Cranes” and “Soldier” were not’ overly well receiveqg at home, the Soviets chose to export them to the West because of their lack of revolutionary Tomanticism and Communist patriotism. However, just because they were free of political and ideological overtones, says Gaev, “these movies could not be considered by Soviet critics as art, which must be ‘rich with bright events—the affairs of the remarkable Soviet peoplec.’”’ He adds that any film that even vaguely violates this rule requiring such “brightness” is accused of idealism, “a favorite whipping boy of Soviet critics at the present time.” Gaev suggests that the Soviet leaders were aware that the two films would be well received in the West, and thus approved their submission to international film festivals, “providing an excellent illustration of how pure art and a philosophical viewpoint censured at home are exploited abroad for political purposes.” Lawyer Fails to Show; Dismiss, With Prejudice, Greenes Vs. Atlanta Atlanta, March 14. Claim for $1,500,000 filed by William and Lavanda Ann Greene, operators of Glen Theatre, Decatur, Ga., in 1955 against Atlanta Enterprises Inc., et al, has been dismissed with prejudice by Federal District Judge William Boyd Sloan, following failure of plaintiff's attorney to appear for a pretrial conference.° Defendants are major distribs,” Wilby-Kincey, and other Atlanta and Decatur exhibs. Another suit brought by same plaintiffs against the distribs, relating to the Palmetto Theatre in Palmetto, Ga., was tried’ before Judge Sloan in 1959 and resuited in a jury verdict for distribs. Authors Preduction Co. Sets Two Exploiters . Hollywood, March 14. Newly-formed Authors Pradue‘tion Co., headed by producer-director William Rowland and authors uncluttered and stylish: art work | are Mary McCall Jr. and Charles ; Paul I. Wellman and A. B. Guthrie being used. by publishers of paperback books and manufacturers of : stores for months or wep years, | with a slower “payoff.” Motion picture ad men i haven't vet displaved the consistent taste: shown by these other products, but: _then the: picture: people have to. get in and sell fast, because the, product is| gone within a short: : period. of time. It’s not always easy ; -to create a vivid and tasteful image, i he: indicated, adding, however, that! beeause of business ‘and public relations pressures, it’svital that it-be attempted. Geto paid special praise to the’ stylish and offbeat ads now generally: used to ‘promote foreign prod: uct, at least.in New York. But these : pix, if they are hits, also get a -slower playoff than the general run of domestic hits; and thus, per| ‘Schnee. Presidential candidates of : the screen branch are James Webb : ‘ matically becoming vice president , of the overall guild. Screen branch :¥ice president candidates are Tom : Blackburn and Allen Rivkin. Other screen branch candidates are Devéry Freeman’ and George Slevin, ‘ secretary-treasurer slot. Screen board member: Eric Am‘bler, Herbert Baker, Henry Eph‘ren, John Gay, Gavin Lambert John Lee Mahin, Charles Schnee (cross filed) and Daniel Taradash. Guild television and radio branch ' candidates are: Nate Monaster and Barry Trivers, president; ‘ topher Kropf and Maurice Tom-! :bragel, vice president; Sol Stein | and Louis Pelletier, secretarytreasurer. Board members: Nate Monaster, ducing “Devil in’ Bucks: ‘County.” He's had the property for some time ‘ haps, their distribs can afford this: Barry Trivers, Robert Schiller, El _but ‘there seemed -fo be some question as to who would be the actual ‘producer. He's: the Woolf.of.London . .. At Metra’s Culver City, also‘ taste ‘and style. Geto's Freelancers group is of-! iis Marcus, Mary C. McCali Jr.., Jerry Gottler, David Harmon and from London, ’: As. playwright John Mortimer, ‘who’s . scripting “T ‘Thank... ; fering ‘to design basic campaigns . Robert Yale Libott. a Fool.”’ Martin Poll (0X: Gold: Medal Studios)’ to the Coast:for talks at Parawell as tv and radio spots and rescreen branch are Richard Breen, : . Even alleged mislated promotional work. Group has Ernest Lehman, Isobel Lennart. {offices i in New York and Hollywood. Jand Robert Pirosh. mount re “The Iron: ‘Men.” swhich. he'll produce ... ‘(Continued on page 19) ‘on pix, including: art and copy, as Four holdover members from the in the news ac harassed with Ivan Moffat, ‘ Chris; Jr., will launch operations with ‘pair of exploitation films. Initialer will be “Color Blind,” based on Guthrie’s Pulitzer prize‘winning newspaper stor". dealing ‘with problems of discrimination .and miscegenation in a northern .college, to roll March 20 at Hal “Roach Studios. Second, slated to go in June, is Wellman’s biopic of Major Claude Eatherly, U.S. Air Force pilot who led the Hiroshima and Nagasaki ‘atomie air raids and was recently a guilt complex. Both will be turned out sans release. Rowland will handle producerdirector reins, Wellman act as exee ! producer and Irma Berk a sociate ‘producer. Vet George Moskev wil! , act as production exec. moe Minnelli on Oscarcast Hollywood, Marecii !4. Vincente Minnelli, who cirec'ed ‘last year’s Academy Awards show, ‘will repeat for upcoming 35d ane nual swecpstakes,-held April 17 at Santa Monica Civie Aud. Minelli was an Oscar winner ag well for his helming of “Gizi,” in } 1958.