Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1963)

*7foU(fjcmod ^cfiont •By CHRIS DUTRA JOSEPH GERSHENSON, Universal music ^ department head, reports the studio currently has five composers working on eight pictures now in production. Frank DeVol is the latest to be signed to score the Ross Hunter-Martin Melcher production of “The Thrill of It All,” and is also scoring “For Love or Money.” Hem^y Mancini is on the valley lot working on Howard Hawks’ production of “Man’s Favorite Sport?” and Stanley Donen’s “Charade.” Jerry Goldsmith is also working on two — “A Gathering of Eagles” and “The List of Adrian Messenger.” Frank Skirmer is scoring the Marlon Brando starrer, “The Ugly American,” and Ron Goodwin is in England scoring “Lancelot and Guinevere.” . . . Producer William Bloom and screenwriter Bill Blatty will work together again on Columbia’s forthcoming production of “The Baby Sitter,” a modem day comedy. The pair last worked on Columbia’s Danny Kaye starrer “The Man From the Diners’ Club. Dino De Laurentiis is currently in town meeting with top-level Columbia executives. Luigi Luraschi, a top executive for De Laurentiis, has accompanied him here and is doing special work in connection with “Barabbas,” and advance preparations on De Laurentiis’ forthcoming production of “The Bible” . . . Producer-director Robert Rossen met with M. J. Frankovich, first vice-president of Columbia, and Sol Schwartz, vice-president in charge of west coast operations, to discuss production plans for “Lilith,” which he will film for the studio. The story is based on the J. R. Salamanca novel . . . Cliff Robertson, star of Warner Bros.’ “PT-109,” gets the front cover treatment of the March issue of Better Homes and Gardens. The issue marks the first time a film star has been spotlighted in the family magazine, which has a readership in the neighborhood of 15,000,000.” Don Medford has been signed to an exclusive directorial contract by MGM studios, calling for him to direct both motion pictures and television. Under his previous non-exclusive status with the studio, he directed several segments of the studio’s current 'TV series . . . Jerry Bresler, now ready to put his much heralded “Gidget Goes to Rome” before the cameras, has signed Jessie Royce Landis for a costarring spot opposite James Darren and screen newcomer Cindy Carol, who makes her film debut as the new “Gidget.” Under the direction of Paul Wendkos, the film rolls on location in Rome on February 18 for Columbia . . . Preparing for an active year in feature film production, actor-producer Chuck Connors has just pm'chased “St. Augustine,” an original screenplay by John Wilder and Jerry Ziegman for fall production under his independent banner. Connors will act as executive producer and not appear in this fUm . . . Producerdirector Delmer Daves is back on the Warner Bros, lot with his completed script of “Youngblood Hawke,” which he has adapted from the Herman Wouk novel. Contract-actress Diane McBain has been set by Warner Bros, for a costarring role opposite Debbie Reynolds in Mervyn LeRoy’s “Mary, Mary.” The film version of Jean Ken-’s Broadway hit will be put before the cameras in mid-February . . . Actor Woody Merritt was signed by Producer Tom Corradine to make his film debut in the independent production, “Depths of the Unknown,” rolling later this month with Jean Yarbrough directing under the Company of Artists banner . . . Harold Hecht has acquired a new novel by Lionel Davidson, “The Rose of Tibet,” described as a modern romantic adventure, for a reported $100,000. The novel will be published this spring in the U.S. by Harper and Row . . . The biography of artist Paul Gauguin, “Noble Savage,” by Lawrence and Elizabeth Hanson, has been purchased for both stage and film production by Julian Lesser and Leon Barsha. They plan to use the additional biographical material in a feature which will be titled “The Case of Paul Gauguin.” S' Art Marx and Bob Fisher have been set to screenplay their original story “Eight on the Lam” for Hope Enterprises, Inc. ’The deal was negotiated by the Louis Shurr Agency . . . Producer Tom Corradine has added “Kroma” to his film production schedule to be made under his Company of Artists banner. Shooting is scheduled to start immediately following “Depths of the Unknown,” currently being lensed here . . . Actor Keir Dullea, star of “David and Lisa,” has been signed to a seven-year contract by Seven Arts, calling for him to make one picture a year, with option for a second. The pact is non-exclusive, leaving Dullea STAR GREETS AUTHOR— Gregory Peck greets Pulitzer Prize-winning author Harper Lee upon her arrival in Los Angeles in connection with the special opening of the film adaptation of her novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” in which Peck stars for producer Alan Pakula. The Universal release opened in time to be considered for Academy Award nomination. free for television, legitimate theatre or other motion pictures . . . Yoko Tani, Oriental actress who appeared in Paramount’s “My Geisha,” returns to the studio for a top role in the Jack Rose production “Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?” The film toplines Dean Martin, Carol Burnett and Martin Balsam . . . Filmways production chief Martin Ransohoff, has signed Ira Wallach to write the screenplay of “The Wheeler Dealers,” which Arthur Hiller will direct with James Gamer and Lee Remick starred. Wallach also wrote “Boys’ Night Out” last year for Filmways. Studio production assignments of the week: Errol Garner will compose the score for Melville Shavelson’s “A New Kind of Love,” for Paramount . . . Stanley Goldsmith and Mecca Graham set as assistant directors to Norman Taurog on Warner Bros. “Palm Springs Weekend” . . . Harold Lipstein assumes cinematographer chores on the same picture . . . Henry Vars, Polish composer, will pen the musical score for MGM’s “Flipper,” the Ivan Tors production starring Chuck Connors . . . Noted art director Alexander Trauner, currently working on Billy Wilder’s “Irma La Douce” for the Mirisch Co., has been signed by Fred Zinneman to repeat similar chores on “Killing a Mouse on Sunday,” which he will produce and direct this spring for Columbia . . . Stan Detlie, who has functioned as property master on all Samuel Bronston productions in Spain, will repeat his chores on Bronston’s forthcoming production of “The Fall of the Roman Empire” . . . Mervyn LeRoy brings in costume designer Travilla to create the modem wardrobe for Debbie Reynolds in “Mary, Mary,” which he is making for Warner Bros, release. J. J. Cohn, formerly associated with MGM, has joined the Mirisch Co., as production executive on “The Great Race,” which stars Paul Newman and Jack Lemmon. Blake Edwards will film the feature in Rome. Cohn and production manager Joe Popkin are en route there for conferences with Edwards . . . Walter Grauman moves over from television to make his feature film directorial bow on “Lady in a Cage,” for Luther Davis. The film stars Olivia de Havilland, who has aiTived in Hollywood to prepare for her starring role in the film, the first she has made in Hollywood in over five years . . . Markann Productions has been formed by producerswi’itei’s Arthur Alsberg and Robert Fisher for the production of television series and motion pictures. The first venture blueprinted by the team is a coproduction with Selmur Production on the pilot of “Hey, Cousin,” starring Chill Wills. Michael Gordon has been handed the dii’ection reins on the Doris Day starrer, “Something’s Got to Give,” at 20th Century-Fox. The project will be a joint venture of Aaron Rosenberg’s Areola Productions, Martin Melcher Productions and Fox. Cameras will roll in April on the Hal Kantor-Jack Sher screenplay ... At Paramount studios, stars Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman hosted a cocktail -reception party on the set of Melville Shavelson’s “A New Kind of Love,” for Maurice Chevalier, who makes his first appearance on the Hollywood lot in over 30 years. BOXOFFICE :: January 28, 1963 11