Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1963)

20th-Fox Plans Six Roadshows in 1964 NEW YORK — Twentieth Century-Fox, which had two roadshows, “Cleopatra” and “The Longest Day” ^ , *«. in 1962-63, will pro duce six roadshow atgk tractions in 1964 at a ■K 9 cost of $42,000,000, . W the greatest film negative allocation of its type in motion picture history, according to Richard D. Z a n u c k, vicepresident in charge of production. Richard D. Zanuck The announcement followed conferences with Darryl F. Zanuck, president, and Elmo Williams, managing director of 20t,h Century-Fox Productions, Ltd. These six roadshows will be in addition to the 12 major non-roadshow pictures on the company’s 1964 program, Zanuck pointed out. The first of the six roadshows will be “The Day Custer Fell,” based on the book by David Humphries Miller, “Custer’s Fall.” This will be an hour-by-hour account of Custer’s last stand and will be photographed on the original locale, Little Big Horn, Wyo., in 70mm and De Luxe Color, with ten leading roles, in addition to 21 cameo roles. David Weisbart will produce in the early summer. Then will come “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machine,” based on “Flying Crazy,” by Jack Davis, who is doing the screenplay, to be directed by Ken Annakin. It will feature seven international stars, playing pilots from the U.S., England, France, Italy and Germany, and will be photographed in London and Paris, starting in early May; William Wyler’s production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music,” with a screenplay by Ernest Lehman, to be photographed in 70mm and De Luxe Color in Austria with interiors to be made in Hollywood, starting May 15; Richard McKenna’s best-selling novel, “The Sand Pebbles,” to be produced and directed by Robert Wise, with exteriors to be shot in the Orient and interiors in Hollywood, starting in October 1964. Five and six will be Irving Stone’s “The Agony and the Ecstasy,” with a screenplay by Philip Dunne, which will be shot in Italy and Hollywood, in 70mm and De Luxe Color, starting in June, and Lawrence Durrell’s “Justine,” from a screenplay by Ben Barzman, which will be shot in the Near East and at the Hollywood studio in 70mm and De Luxe Color, starting late next summer. AIP Sets Dualler for Christmas HOLLYWOOD — American International’s Christmas release, a dual bill action spectacle combination, has been announced by James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff, AIP’s president and vice-president respectively. The holiday combination is “Goliath and the Sins of Babylon” and “Samson and the Slave Queen,” both in color and scope, according to Nicholson and Arkoff. “Goliath” stars Mark Forrest, Scilla Gabel and John Chevron while “Samson” stars Allen Steele and Pierre Brice. Stewart Trans-Lux Corp. Now Stewart Filmscreen TORRANCE, CALIF. — The Stewart Filmscreen Corp. has become the new name of the Stewart Trans-Lux Corp., producer of seamless motion picture and television screens and rear projection background screens, it was announced this week by Roy C. Stewart, president. The name change, Stewart said, came as part of a planned expansion program by the company. Stewart Filmscreen Corp., established in 1946 as Roy C. Stewart & Sons, is entirely a family affair, with Stewart’s four sons each heading his own department. They are LeMar R., in charge of sales; Marshall E., engineering; Clifford D., production, and Patrick H., quality control. The company, Stewart said, has maintained a policy of continued research engineering and development toward perfecting screens for professional use, with installations in more than 40 countries. The largest screen ever produced by the firm, measuring 32x75 feet, is installed in a theatre in Bangkok, Thailand. Screens are custom-engineered, he added, and can be made in seamless sizes up to 46x88 feet. Fred Wiseman Will Produce 'Dr. Modesto' Next April NEW YORK — Fred Wiseman, whose first feature film, “The Cool World,” made in Harlem, was shown at the recent Venice Film Festival, has purchased the screen rights to the Alan Harrington novel, “The Revelations of Dr. Modesto,” which he will put into production in April 1964. Sidney Meyers, who directed and wrote “The Quiet One,” has been signed to direct the new film, which will be shot on location in Boston, New Bedford and other New England locales. “The Revelations of Dr. Modesto” was published by Knopf in 1955. Wiseman has opened offices for Wiseman Film Productions at 53 East 77th Street in New York and will begin casting in November. Longest Day' Film Rentals: $25,275,000 to 20th-Fox New York — Darryl F. Zanuck’s “The Longest Day” has earned $25,275,000 in worldwide film rentals during its first year of release. The picture observed its first anniversary in distribution on Thursday (10). Seymour Poe, executive vice-president of 2Cth Century-Fox, emphasized that the figure represented rentals to the company and not theatre grosses. He said the gross was the largest ever registered by a film company in the first year of release and that it was 20th-Fox’s top moneymaker to date and probably the highest grossing black and white film in boxoffice history. “The Longest Day” made its debut at New York’s Warner Theatre on October 10 of last year and then was launched on reserved seat engagements in major world cities. It began its general release in the United States and Canada in June. iKevcecv > > < < 0pC&46e& CASTILIAN, THE (WB) — Magnificently filmed in Panacolor, which gives softness and beauty to the rocky mountains and arid plains of the Spanish provinces and realism to the spectacular and bloody battles, this Sidney W. Pink production will attract the action devotees and the youngsters. For average audiences, the epic tale of a legendary Spanish hero is over-long, laden wih intrigue and religious significance and lacking in humor or sympathy for its poker-faced hero. Javier Seto directed the Cinemagic of Spain coproduction. Cesar Romero, Frankie Avalon, Broderick Crawford, Alida Valli. STOLEN HOURS (UA) — The so-called “woman’s picture,” in which the woes of a long-suffering heroine bring tears to the eyes of feminine patrons, has been in short supply in recent years so there should be a ready market for this poignant emotional drama. This Denis Holt production for Mirisch-Barbican is surefire audience fare which even most men will enjoy. Color by De Luxe, Daniel Petrie directed. Stuart Millar and Lawrence Turman are the executive producers. Susan Hayward, Michael Craig, Diane Baker, Edward Judd. These reviews will appear in full in a forthcoming issue of Boxoffice. AA Gets Repeat Bookings On 1959-60 Crime Films NEW YORK — Allied Artists reports a “startling” surge of bookings on “A1 Capone” and “Pay or Die,” originally released in 1959 and 1960, respectively, following the opening of the Senate Committee hearings on crime and the exposure given to the questioning of Joseph Valachi. In the Boston area alone, 16 dates for the films were set in the first week of October. “A1 Capone,” one of AA’s top grossing pictures, stars Rod Steiger while “Pay or Die” stars Ernest Borgnine. “Cry of Battle,” produced by Joe Steinberg in the Philippines, starring Van Heflin, Rita Moreno and James MacArthur, which is being released by Allied Artists, had its world premiere at the Victoria Theatre in New York Friday (11) . 'From Russia, With Love' Has London Premiere LONDON — “From Russia, With Love,” the second of the Harry Saltzman-Albert Broccoli productions based on Ian Fleming’s James Bond thrillers, had its world premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square Theatre Thursday (10). Sean Connery, who also starred in “Dr. No,” the first of these Fleming pictures for United Artists, plays Agent 007 and Pedro Armendariz, Lotte Lenya and Bernard Lee are featured. Terence Young directed. 8 BOXOFFICE :: October 14, 1963