Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1962)

defiant •By CHRIS DUTRA J^EVEALING almost no change in the current production pulse in Hollywood, the month of November looks to a tentative lineup of only nine screenplays. Allied Artists swings into first place with three featm'es listed, followed by United Artists with two. American International, Columbia, Paramount and Universal-International have one starter each blueprinted. The month of October saw only ten films get the green light. This figure represented two films less than the month of September. The films listed by studios are: ALLIED ARTISTS “The Judo Tree” toplines Sessue Hayaka wa and Pat Suzuki. The plot deals with the pretty daughter of a Japanese judo expert who attempts to teach the art to some willing American GIs. Dennis Kane directs and Jules Levy produces on location in Japan. “The Black Zoo” will be produced by Herman Cohen and directed by Robert Gordon in Cinemascope and color. The story deals with a man who has his own private zoo in Los Angeles that he uses to get rid of anyone who gets in his way. “The Gunfighters” will be produced by Ben Schwalb and directed by Frank McDonald. In Cinemascope and color, starring David Janssen, this western is about a private detective who joins a gang of outlaws in order to dispose of them. AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL “The Seafighters” stars Frankie Avalon and Tab Hunter and will be shot in Hollywood in color and wide film. Anthony Carras will direct for executive producer James H. Nicholson. The story deals with an underwater demolition team in World War II, who saves the secrets of U. S. radar installations from Japanese capture. COLUMBIA “The Candy Web” in Eastman Color will be produced and directed by William Castle. This will be in the comedy-suspense vein. (Mr. Castle is keeping the plot top secret until its release!) PARAMOUNT “Samantha,” in color, will be produced and directed by Melville Shavelson. Paul Newman and Joarme Woodward star in this satirical comedy revolving around the fashion industry. Background footage has been shot in Paris and New York, with principal photography taking place in Hollywood. UNITED ARTISTS “The Pink Panther.” Blake Edwards directs for Producer Martin Jurow. The Mirisch Co. presentation will shoot in Europe. This is a modern comedy-adventure set in Italy involving several scoundrels (David Niven, Robert Wagner and Capucine) ; a Paris police inspector (Peter Ustinov) and a princess, (Claudia Cardinal)— all are in hot pursuit of a priceless diamond! “Lilies of the Field.” This is the first in dependent production for producer-director Ralph Nelson. Sidney Poitier stars as a discharged soldier who encoimters a group of nuns who talk him into building them a new church. UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL “Man’s Favorite Sport” will shoot in color. Howard Hawks is producer-director on this Rock Hudson-Paula Prentiss starrer about a public relations female who becomes involved with a playboy sportsman. Director J. Lee Thompson will toui’ the United States on behalf of Harold Hecht’s “Taras Bulba” starting November 24, and will host a series of screenings and interviews for newsmen of 36 cities for the United Artists release which stars Tony Curtis, Yul Brynner and Christine Kaufmann. His itinerary includes New York, Chicago, Washington, D. C„ Kansas City and Denver, where the representatives of leading news media from the 36 major United States and Canadian cities will be invited by Thompson to previews and press conferences. Thompson plans to be in each of the five cities for a minimum of two days. First of the series of screening-interviews will be held in New York, November 24-28 with newsmen also attending from Philadelphia, Boston, Cleveland, Pittsbm-gh, Buffalo, New Haven, Hartford, Toronto, Hamilton and Montreal. Next will be in Washington, November 29, 30 with news representatives attending from Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Miami and Jacksonville. The Chicago preview-interviews will be held December 3,4, with press visiting from Detroit, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Milwaukee and Cincinnati. The Kansas City sessions will take place December 5, 6. Attending will be newsmen from St. Louis, Omaha, Des Moines, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and Oklahoma City. The final conference of the series will be held in Denver, December 7, 8, with guests from Salt Lake City, Albuquerque and Colorado Springs. The “Rampage” location company has returned to the studio after five weeks of filming in Hawaii. Shooting on the Seven Arts production for Warner Bros, resumed this week on the Burbank stages with stars Robert Mitchum, Elsa Martinelli, Jack Hawkins and Sabu. Phil Karlson is directing the Technicolor feature for executive producer William Fadiman . . . Jerry Lewis selected 11 midget actors to appear with him in a scene for “The Nutty Professor,” his current Paramount release which he is directing and starring in. The diminutive actors and the set are half -size so that Lewis will look twice as tall as usual. The actors are Billy Curtis, Billy Levisohn, Bill Novell, Joan Novell, George Spotts, Brenda Billings, Marilyn England, Eileen Henderson, Alicia Kosarich, Andre England and Gordon England . . . Producer-director William Asher has started editing and scoring on “Johrmy Cool,” Chrislaw Production for United Artists release. Film costars Henry Silva and Ehza beth Montgomery with special guest appearances by Sammy Davis jr., Joey Bishop, Mort Sahl, Telly Savalas, and Brad Dexter ... A citation from Hear Magazine as best performance of the month by an actress has been won by Angela Lansbury for her work in “The Manchurian Candidate.” 1^ The Mirisch Co. has become the first filmmaking organization to open its entire library of motion pictures to the Hollywood Museum. Among the films which are being offered are the Academy Award winning films of 1961 and 1962, Billy Wilder’s “The Apartment” and Robert Wise’s “West Side Story,” “Some Like It Hot,” and “The Magnificent Seven.” Prints being collected by the Hollywood Museum will be stored in specially constructed vaults, now being designed by architect William L. Pereira. A program of daily afternoon showings of films is projected for the future, paralleling the showings conducted by New York’s Museum of Modem Art. Films also will be available to students and historians, along with other materials pertaining to the motion picture medium . . . Stuart Phelps, director of the Frank Sinatra world tour film, has completed final editing of a special film, “Sinatra in Israel,” for Histadrut, Israel’s pioneer labor organization, which will use the film for educational and fundraising purposes throughout the world. Sinatra did the narration for the 40 -minute feature at Paramount Studios, where he is currently starring in “Come Blow Your Horn.” Bette Davis invades the popular recording field with the release of her first single on the MGM Records label, “I’ve Written a Letter to Daddy,” from her current motion picture release, “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” Miss Davis joins with 12year-old Debbie Burton in the live recording. On the reverse side is a Twist version of the title music, composed and arranged by DeVol . . . Producer-director George Schaefer has begun a series of conferences with Paramount executives regarding three properties he has acquired, and his threepicture non-exclusive pact with the studio . . . Producers Elliott Kastner and Stan Shpetner have announced a January starting date for “Hanno’s Doll,” Jane Fonda starrer for Columbia release. The picture is scheduled to shoot in New York with Miss Fonda heading east around Christmas time for pre-production activities. “Merlin Jones,” a comedy-adventure in Technicolor starring Armette and Tommy Kirk, has been set to roll at the Disney studio in mid-November. The story revolves around an introverted high-IQ college student, with a great mind-reading capability. Robert Stevenson will direct from the Tom and Helen August screenplay . . . Anthony Franciosa and George Roy Hill have entered joint production on “Idiot’s Delight,” remake of the 1939 Metro film which starred Clark Gable and Norma Shearer. Hill will produce and direct, with film scheduled to begin work next April . . . George Montgomery has purchased the novel, “Treason,” by Ben Markson, for production by his own independent company. The story is about the American spy, Felix Steiger, during the Revolutionary War. Montgomery, producer-director-star of three films for his own company, released through Warner Bros., has no releasing deal set for “Treason.” BOXOFFICE :: November 12, 1962 17