Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1962)

NOVEMBER HAS MOST FILMS OF 1962-63 SEASON TO DATE Allied Provides Listing Of TV Feature Bookings 19 Releases This November, Three More Than Lost Year; Only 33 in Sept. -Oct. 1962 By FRANK LEYENDECKER NEW YORK — After a September-October releasing period which had a total of only 33 new pictures from the nine major companies, plus Buena Vista, Continental and Embassy Pictures, the month of November, the third month of the 1962-63 releasing season, will have 19 new pictures available to exhibitors before and during the Thanksgiving holiday period. In addition, Lopert is releasing “Phaedra” and Governor Films is releasing “A Kind of Loving” in November. 52 FILMS IN QUARTER However, this total of 52 pictimes is three less than were released in the first quarter, September-November, of the 1961-62 releasing season. November 1961 had 16 new pictures, this being before Embassy came into existence as a distributor on its own. This November will have several strong pictures, including the release of Theatre Owners of America’s “Hollywood Preview Engagement” of “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Two musicals, “Girls! Girls! Girls!” starring Elvis Presley, and “Gay Pmr-ee,” with the voices of Judy Garland and Red Buttons; “Billy Budd,“ from the Herman Melville sea epic; “If a Man Answers,” starring Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin: “The Main Attraction,” starring Pat Boone, and Walt Disney’s “Legend of Lobo” are all aimed at the family or teenage patrons. Other big pictures for November include “The Manchm-ian Candidate,” Jackie Gleason’s “Gigot,” “The War Lover,” “Period of Adjustment,” “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner,” British film, and three made in Eimope, “Constantine and the Cross,” a period epic; “Madame,” starring Sophia Loren, and “Crime Does Not Pay.” The others are program pictures. MORE BRITISH PICTURES Again the British or European-made pictures predominate with only “Baby Jane,” “Legend of Lobo,” “Period of Adjustment,” “Girls! Girls! Girls!” “If a Man Answers,” “Gay Purr-ee” and “Stagecoach to Dancers’ Rock,” a western, made in Hollywood. Broken down by companies, the November releases will include: ALLIED ARTISTS — “Billy Budd," filmed in Englond by Peter Ustinov, who stars with Robert Ryan, Meivyn Douglas and Terence Stamp in the title role. AA releosed one each in September and October. AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL — "Reptilicus," produced in Europe in color with Carl Ottosen and Ann Smyrner. AlP releosed one picture each in September and October. BUENA VISTA — "The Legend of Lobo," a Walt Disney picture in color. BV also released "Almost Angels" in October, pairing it with the reissue of "Lady and the Tramp." COLUMBIA — "The War Lover," produced in England with Steve McQueen, Robert Wagner and Shirley Anne Field starred, and "Pirates of Blood River," produced in England with Kerwin Mothews and Glenn Corbett. Co DE'rROrr — Direct advance information is being used as a weapon to arm exhibitors to meet competition of recent major pictures on television in a special report released Wednesday, (Oct. 31) by Allied States Ass’n, pinpointed to meet United Artists release policies. “There are more, better, and newer features on TV than at any time since the advent of television,” according to Milton H. London, executive director of Allied. “Motion picture productions now take up most of the prime time on Saturday and Sunday evenings. This fact is a substantial factor in a serious decline in theatre attendance, which most of us are now experiencing.” Even more serious, London indicates, during this period of acute product shortage more and more exhibitors have been finding themselves in the embarrassing position of having booked a repeat day and date with free television, such as “Hoodlum Priest” on Sunday, October 7. Allied listed 18 UA top pictures shown lumbia released three pictures each in September and October. CONTINENTAL — "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner," produced in England starring Michael Redgrave and Tom Courtenay. Continental released two pictures each in September and October, all four of them British-made. EMBASSY — "Constontine and the Cross," produced in Europe in color, starring Cornel Wilde and Christine Kaufmann; "Crime Does Not Pay," a French-language film starring Michele Morgan, Danielle Darrieux and Annie Girardot, and "Madame," an English-dubbed film made in Europe in color, starring Sophia Loren. MGM — "Period of Adjustment," from the Tennessee Williams play, starring Jane Fonda, Anthony Franciosa and Jim Hutton, and "The Main Attraction," filmed in London in color, starring Pat Boone and Nancy Kwan. MGM had three pictures in release for September-October. PARAMOUNT — "Girls! Girls! Girls!" produced in Hawaii in color by Hal Wallis, starring Elvis Presley with Stella Stevens. Paramount had only one other new picture released in October but hod several reissues in the early fall. TWENTIETH CENTURY-FOX — "Gigot," mode in France in color, starring Jackie Gleason. 20th-Fox had two releases each in September and October. UNITED ARTISTS — "The Manchurian Candidate," starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey and Janet Leigh with Angela Lansbury, and "The Woman Warriors," made in Europe in color with Louis Jourdan and Sylvia Syms starred. UA released two pictures each in September and October. UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL— "If a Man Answers," in color, starring Sandra IDee, Bobby Darin, Micheline Presle and John Lund, and "Stagecoach to Dancers' Rock," a western with Martin Landau and Warren Stevens. U-l had one releose each in September and October. WARNER BROS. — "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, and "Gay Purr-ee," a cartoon feature in color, with the voices of Judy Garland, Robert Goulet, Red Buttons and Hermione Gingold. WB had one picture each in September ond October. Governor Films' "A Kind of Loving," mode in Englond with Alan Bates and June Ritchie, and Lopert Pictures' "Phaedra," made in Greece and Paris, starring Melina Mercouri, Anthony Perkins and Raf Vallone, ore both November releases. Astor Pictures may have a foreign feoture and Atlantic, Audubon ond other independents may also have some releases. on television since last April, noting regular showings on ABC’s Sunday Night at the Movies, and issued a list of advance bookings through next April. A typical list for November and December includes “Vera Cruz,” “Gallant Hours,” “Day of the Outlaw,” “'Trooper Hook,” “Apache,” “The Big Caper,” “Moby Dick,” “Subway in the Sky” and “Devil’s Disciple.” Complete television booking lists are being sent to all UA bookers, London said, so they may advise exhibitors when their picture will be on television. Bookers and branch managers have both complained they did not know these dates and made theatre bookings in good faith. There will be no excuse for the theatre to find itself in this predicament again. It is understood UA’s position as distributor for independent producers places it in a different position as regards feature sales to television, compared to other majors who sell in blocks usually with cutoff date some years back. Dino De Laurentiis Forms An American Company ROME, ITALY — Dino De Laurentiis, whose “Barabbas” is currently playing roadshow engagements for Coliunbia Pictures, has formed an American company, the Dino De Laurentiis Corp. of America with headquarters in New York. De Laurentiis is president of the new’ company with Mario Borgognoni as vicepresident; Ralph Sei-pe, treasurer; Jack Abraham, treasurer and secretary, and Lillian Matthews, assistant secretary and treasurer. Arthur Manson, formerly with Coliunbia in New York, has been signed to handle exploitation for “Barabbas” in the U.S. As campaign director of exploitation on “Barabbas,” he will work directly with Lon Jones, the producer’s director of international publicity and advertising, who is based in Rome. Manson will assume his new duties Feb. 1, 1963, following the general release of “Barabbas.” De Laurentiis’ New York company will also supervise the exploitation of all De Laurentiis product in the Americas. De Laurentiis is completing the erection of a new studio complex on the outskirts of Rome, which will be his world headquarters and will be ready in April 1963. In the meantime, he is preparing a schedule of 15 features to be completed over the next two years, including part one of his project, “The Bible,” which is being scripted by Christopher Fit and will stai*t actual production in October 1963. 10 BOXOFFICE :: November 5, 1962