Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1961)

Levine Launches First of 6 1 Showmanship Caravans A colorful atmosphere was provided at the “showmanship caravan” luncheon in the Starlight Roof of the Waldorf-Astoria to promote Embassy Pictures. Two UA Films Honored At Screenwriters Event HOLLYWOOD — United Artists again scored in an awards event last week when Billy Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond and Richard Brooks were awarded the Writers Guild of America, West, screenwriters kudos for 1960 for “The Apartment” and “Elmer Gantry,” respectively. Betty Comden and Adolph Green and George Seaton were also nodded at the organization’s 13th annual event, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Wilder and Diamond won for the bestwritten American comedy, “The Apartment” (Mirisch-UA) ; Brooks’ “Elmer Gantry” (UA) won for best-written American drama, and Comden and Green scored for best musical, their own Broadway hit, “Bells Are Ringing” (MGM) . Seaton was named to receive the Laurel Award, given each year “to the writer who, over the years, has contributed most to the literature of the screen.” The writers presented another of their shows lampooning members of the industry, with Bai’ry Sullivan, David Janssen, Burt Lancaster, Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, Mary McCarty, Danny Arnold, Herbert Baker, Allyn Joslyn, Joe Flynn, Don Hinkley, Jack Kruschen, Marie Sullivan, Sheila Rogers, Tom Conroy, Marilyn Maxwell, Edie Adams, Stubby Kaye and A1 Lewis performing. Herbert Baker, I. A. L. Diamond and Ben Roberts produced and directed the show, which had sketches from Every Freeman, Jack Rose, Jay Livingston, Ray Evans, Hal Kantor, Danny Arnold, Mel Shavelson, Richard DeRoy, Austin Kalish and Martin Ragaway, among others. Two Columbia Directors To Screen Gems Board NEW YORK — Leo M. Blancke and Donald S. Stralem, directors of Columbia Pictures, have been elected to the board of directors of Screen Gems, Inc., Columbia’s television subsidiary. Blancke is a partner in Hemphill, Noyes & Co. and Stralem is a partner in Hallgarten & Co. Screen Gems, in February, placed 11 per cent of its common stock on the open market via rights to Columbia stockholders. The company is engaged in the production and distribution of television films and has the rights to 1,400 features and approximately 1,000 short subjects, serials and cartoons. The addition of Blancke and Stralem to the Screen Gem board brings the total membership to ten. The others are A. Schneider, Leo Jaffe, Jerome Hyams, William Dozier, A. Montague, Samuel J. Briskin, Alfred Hart and Louis J. Barbano. Negulesco Starts Filming Of 'Jessica' in Sicily FORZA D’ARGO, SICILY— Jean Negulesco’s “Jessica,” which he is producing and directing for United Artists release, went before the cameras this week. The picture, which stars Maurice Chevalier, Agnes Moorehead and Angie Dickinson, is based on Flora Sandstrom’s novel, “The Midwife of Pont Clery. A coproduction of Dear Films of Italy and Ariane Films of France, it is being filmed in Panavision and Eastman Color. NEW YORK — The first six “showmanship caravans” to be launched by Joseph E. Levine’s Embassy Pictures on behalf of three forthcoming productions to be distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was held in the Starlight Roof of the Hotel Waldorf-Astoria March 27, the luncheon affair having been attended by 400 exhibitors and members of the press. Completed pressbooks on “Morgan the Pirate” and “Thief of Baghdad” were distributed to the guests who also were told of the exploitation materials and accessories on the pictures, available months before their release. “The Wonders of Aladdin,” just completed was represented by promotion literature and by Donald O’Connor, its star, who had arrived from Tunisia that morning. Levine told the guests that Embassy would spend almost $4,000,000 on the advertising and merchandising of the three pictures and that no efforts or money had been spared to infuse these three pictures with the highest degree of quality, in Joe Levine addressing luncheon guests in behalf of his “showmanship caravan.” corporating those ingredients which “we know are boxoffice smashes in today’s highly competitive market.” Television and radio will be used in greater depth than ever before, as well as more newspaper lineage so that all prospective customers within the range of the printed word and the spoken word will know about the three productions, Levine said. With these three pictures, Levine said, Embassy was doing its part to supply the nation’s exhibitors with a steady flow of product backed by comprehensive showmanship campaigns. He said the campaigns were not in projected stages, but fully completed and ready to be used well in advance of playdates. Pressbooks, accessories and other material on “Morgan the Pirate” and “Thief of Baghdad” now are available through National Screen Service and the same patterns will be followed for “The Wonders of Aladdin.” George Jessel was the toastmaster at the event. Other speakers were Joseph R. Vogel, president of MGM; Preston Tisch, chairman of the executive committee of Loew’s Theatres; S. H. Fabian, president of Stanley Warner; Robert Mochrie, general sales manager of MGM; Harry Mandel, president of RKO Theatres, and Donald O’Connor. All lauded Levine for his showmanship and foresight, and, as Mochrie pointed out, Levine had played a major role in the resurgence of business. Subsequent “caravans” will be held in Chicago on April 3, Atlanta on April 4, Dallas on April 5, Los Angeles on April 6 and San Francisco on April 7. New President Release NEW YORK — President Films has acquired “The Teacher and the Miracle,” Italian film which won the grand prize at the 1959 Venice Film Festival, for national release in the U. S., according to Joe Green, president. It will be distributed through George Roth of Atlantic Pictures in April. BOXOFFICE April 3, 1961 21