Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1962)

FEATURE REVIEW 1 'How the West Was Won' MGM-Cinerama By AL STEEN LONDON Spencer Tracy is the narrator, bridging the sequences and describing the historical background. Each member of the carefully selected cast gives a sup>erb performance of Oscar calibre. ^INERAMA truly has come into its own with “How the West Was Won.” All cliche adjectives of praise could hardly describe the thrills and pathos that have been poured into this magnificent production. Viewed at its world premiere at the Casino Theatre in London, the picture repeatedly brought applause and cheers from a select and distinguished audience which included royalty. So tense were some of the sequences that there were audible exhalations of relief, followed by bursts of applause, as the episodes ended. Five sequences are blended into a single thread of a story, basically that of a pioneer family and its role in the settlement of the American West. Three directors handled the individual episodes: namely, John Ford, Henry Hathaway and George Marshall. The camera work of William Daniels, Charles Bryant jr. and Joseph LaShelle reaches the highest peak of cinematic splendor, catching breath-taking rides through swirling, angi-y rapids, stampeding buffalo, bloody Civil War battles and a wild, runaway train, all in vivid color. The rugged scenery is awe-inspiring. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Cinerama present "HOW THE WEST WAS WON" Print by Technicolor Running time: 155 minutes, plus intermission Aspect ratio; 3.18-1 CREDITS Produced by Bernard Smith. "The Civil War," directed by John Ford; "The Railroad," directed by George Morshall; "The River, The Plains, The Outlaws," directed by Henry Hathaway. Written by James R. Webb. Suggested by the series, "How the West Was Won," in Life Magazine. Music score by Alfred Newman, associate Ken Darby. Song lyrics by Ken Darby, Sammy Cahn, Johnny Mercer. Directors of photography, William H. Daniels, Milton Krasner, Charles Lang jr,, Joseph LaShelle. Art direction, George W. Davis, William Ferrari, Addison Hehr. Set decoration, Henry Grace, Don Greenwood jr.. Jack Mills. Color consultant, Charles K. Hagedon. Film editor, Harold F. Kress. Second unit photography, Harold E. Wellman; Assistant directors, George Marshall jr., William McGarry, Robert Saunders, William Shanks, Wingate Smith. Production supervisor for Cinerama, Thomas Conroy. Special visual effects, A. Arnold Gillespie, Robert R. Hoag. Costumes by Walter Plunkett. Hair styles by Sydney Guilaroff. Makeup created by William Tuttle. Music coordinator, Robert Emmett Dolan. Recording supervisor, Franklin Milton. THE CAST Eve Prescott . . . Marshal Jethro Stuart . . . Julie Rawlings . . Zebu Ion Prescott Cleve Van Valen Zeb Rawlings . . . Roger Morgan . . Lilith Prescott . . Linus Rawlings Charlie Gant . . General Sherman Mike King Dora Colonel Hawkins Attorney Peterson Abraham Lincoln Rebecca Prescott General Grant Agatha Clegg . . Deputy Reb Soldier .... Narrated by . . , Carroll Baker Lee J . Cobb Henry Fonda Carolyn Jones Karl Malden Gregory Peck George Peppard Robert Preston Debbie Reynolds James Stewart Eli Wallach John Wayne Richard Widmark Brigid Bazlen Walter Brennan David Brian Andy Devine Raymond Massey .... Agnes Moorehead Henry (Harry) Morgan Thelma Ritter . . Mickey Shaughnessy Russ Tamblyn Spencer Tracy The story opens in the late 1830s when a New England farm family heads west via the recently completed Erie Canal. The family consists of Karl Malden and his wife, Agnes Moorehead, and their daughters, Debbie Reynolds and Carroll Baker. In their hand-made rafts they pole their way along the Ohio River into the primitive wilderness of Ohio and Illinois, camping at night along the shoi-e. They meet a trapper, James Stewart, with whom Miss Baker falls in love at first sight, although he is too much of a rover to be interested. When they all become victims of river pirates and, later, one of the rafts is swept away in rapids, drowning the parents. Miss Baker decides to stay near the site and stake a farm. And Stewart elects to stay with her and marry. The next episode tells of Debbie Reynolds, the sister, and her decision to move on, not caring for farm life. She becomes a dancer in a St. Louis gambling hall where she meets Gregory Peck, a card shark, who learns that Miss Reynolds has inherited a gold mine in Sacramento and makes plans to follow her and get his hands on the mine. At Independence, Mo., they join a wagon train heading west. They move west through mountains, prairies, rain, snow and Indian attacks. Robert Preston, the wagon master, has fallen for the girl, but it becomes apparent that it is Peck who has won her heart. In California they learn that the mine is worthless. In desperation. Miss Reynolds becomes a dancer-singer on a Sacramento river boat where again she meets Peck who had deserted her. They cast their lot in the boom town of San Francisco. This is the third chapter of the story. Meanwhile, the Civil War has started and, back in Ohio, Miss Baker now has two grown sons. Restless Stewart has gone to war and, against her will, her eldest son, George Peppard, signs up. He lives through bloody battles and, upon his return to the farm, learns that his mother has died. He joins the cavalry and is assigned to protect the builders of the transcontinental railroad from the Indians. Here he has to contend with Richard Widmark, the hardboiled foreman who cares little for treaties with Indians, and makes friends with Henry Fonda, a buffalo hunter assigned to provide meat for the workers. When a treaty is broken, the Indians start a buffalo stampede which wrecks the camp. Disgusted, Peppard moves on west and becomes a U.S. Marshal. And Debbie Reynolds, now his widowed aimt, leaves San Francisco to join him in Arizona. There, Peppard, when he meets her train, meets up with a long-time enemy and outlaw leader, EU Wallach, who is bent on robbing a train carrying a shipment of gold. Peppard and other lawmen are aboard the train and there is a terrific gun duel as the train becomes a imnaway. The outlaws are killed and Peppard, Miss Debbie Reynolds and Gregory Peck (with Thelma Ritter and Robert Preston in the background) in the California of gold rush days in “How the West Was Won.” Reynolds, Peppard’s children and wife ride off to their new ranch home, knowing that law and order have been brought to the West. That in substance is the story and it is told in a dramatic and authentic manner. Each episode is filled with some of the greatest pieces of action ever seen on the screen. The task of producing this production was assigned to Bernard Smith who responded with mammoth success. Theatres equipped with Cinerama should have a gold mine of their own in this one. As Alexander Walker, critic for the London Evening Standard, observed: “If ever I heard the sound of success — this is it!” And he was so right. Sol C. Siegel Officially Dissolves MGM Pact NEW YORK— Sol C. Siegel and MGM officially signed papers Thursday (7) dissolving their pact, which was entered into last January following Siegel’s resignation as vice-president in charge of production. Siegel states he has made no affiliation nor does he contemplate making one until he returns from a vacation early in 1963. Siegel joined MGM in 1955 as its first independent producer, breaking a tradition of many year’s standing. His first picture as an independent for MGM was “High Society” and his later ones included “Les Girls,” “Merry Andrew,” “Some Came Running” and “Home From the Hill.” Prior to his MGM affiliation, Siegel spent about seven years with 20th Century-Fox, where he produced, among others, “Letter to Three Wives” and “Three Coins in the Fountain,” both of which were selected as Academy Award nominees. To Include Story of St. Luke MADRID — Samuel Bronston has expanded his tieup with Paramount to include “Dear and Glorious Physician,” biography of St. Luke, long on Paramount’s schedule. Frank Capra, meanwhile, has been signed to direct “Circus,” John Wayne stairer upon which Paramount and Bronston several months ago agreed to a co-production deal. Capra will also direct “Physician.” H-L to Distribute 'Wolf' HOLLYWOOD — “Don’t Cry Wolf,” a “new wave” science-fiction drama written-produced-and-directed by Mel Marshall for Ensign Productions, will be handled woi'ldwide by Herts-Lion International, which also acquired television rights, according to Kenneth Herts, H-L president. EOXOFFICE November 19, 1962 7