Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1963)

Aldrich Plans Eight Films To Cost 5/4,000,000 Bronsion Sets Madrid Meeting on 'Empire' MADRID — Samuel Bronston has called an International distribution conference at the Bronston headquarters here November 22-23 to show the final rough cut version of “The Fall of the Roman Empire” and a merchandising program for the picture AWARD TO BRONSTON — At the Spanish Ministry of Information and Tourism, American film producer Samuel Bronston was awarded the Encomienda of the Order of Isabel La Catolica for his work in establishing closer cultural ties between the U. S. and Spain. Left to right are Robert McBride, charge d’ affaires of the American embassy, Madrid; Mrs. Bronston; Bronston and Fraga Iribarne, Spanish minister of information and tourism. to over 100 foreign distributors and key domestic exhibitors. “We look upon ‘The Fall of the Roman Empire’ as a bellwether in this current time of the independent producer-distributor. It is a picture which demands bold new thinking, both in distribution and merchandising techniques. At this conference, such a package will be presented to our overseas distributors and key U.S. exhibitors. Designed according to modern concepts, the distribution-merchandising package will fuse the efforts of producers, distributors and exhibitors for the first time, giving ‘The Fall of the Roman Empire’ the new look in motion picture merchandising and distribution,” Bronston said. Among those who will be in Madrid for the meetings are Paul N. Lazarus jr., executive vice-president; Leon Patlach, vicepresident; Ralph Wheelwright, vice-president; Harold Roth, vice-president of Bronston Distributions; William Schneider, creative advertising consultant; Howard E. Kohn H, world-wide coordinator advertising and publicity, and Tony Silver and Lars McSorley, advertising-publicity representative, as well as Alan Foshko of Foshko Associates, recently retained by the Bronston organization to handle special events. The delegates will tour the Roman Forum set at Las Matas before seeing the rough cut of the picture and then take part in a full-scale merchandising conference. In addition to the meetings and a trip to the Forum, the delegates are scheduled to visit Toledo, where Bronston’s “Circus World” will be shooting, with Henry Hathaway directing and John Wayne, Rita Hayworth and Claudia Cardinale starring in the Paramount release. Thompson Forms Own Firm To Make Low-Budget Films NEW YORK — J. Lee Thompson, director of “The Guns of Navarone,” the United Artists December release, “Kings of the Sun,” and the just-completed “What a Way to Go!” for 20th Century-Fox release, has formed Bowhall Productions, Ltd., a London-based company, solely to make low-budget pictures in the $120-160,000 range for art house showings. Thompson plans to function only as producer on these projects, financing them out of his own pocket, with the hope of developing talented new directors. He said he hopes to produce four films a year under the Bowhall trademark, most of these “very unlikely to make a profit, but films which I deeply wish to make,” he admitted. The first property under option to Bowhall is “Chips With Everything,” from the British play by Arnold Wesker, which is a current success on Broadway. John Dexter, who directed the play, has been set by Thompson to direct the film. The second property is “Rose Without a Thorn,” an original by Clifford Box, while a third, an untitled original, will be filmed in Spain. After “What a Way to Go!” Thompson will report to the Mirisch Co. to produce and direct “Return From the Ashes,” which has a Paris locale but will be filmed in Hollywood, and in the spring of 1964, Thompson will team up with Arthur Jacobs’ APJAC Productions to produce “Thunder of Giants,” budgeted at $7,000,000, which Warner Bros, will release. Adolphe Menjou Dies; 111 for Many Years HOLLYWOOD — Actor Adolphe Menjou died at his Beverly Hills home here Monday (28) of chronic hepatitis. He was 73 years old. His third wife, Veree Teasdale, a former actress, and his adopted son, Peter, 27, were at his bedside. Menjou had been ailing for years and in bed for nine months. The veteran actor made his first film in New York in 1912, then came to Hollywood to help pioneer the industry here. He appeared in more than 200 films and had been active in television in recent years. Born in Pittsburgh and educated in the U.S., Menjou was, nevertheless, Hollywood’s model of the debonair European. Before World War I he appeared with such actresses as Norma Talmadge and Marguerite Clark. Early films included “The Amazons,” “The Valentine Girls,” “The Kiss” and “The Moth.” More recent pictures included “Across the Wide Missouri,” “The Front Page,” “The Hucksters,” “Sweet Rosie O’Grady,” “State of the Union,” “Bachelor’s Daughters” and “Pollyanna.” HOLLYWOOD — Robert Aldrich, producer-director for the Associates and Aidrich Co., has outlined a program of eight theatrical features and at least one television series, with a total expenditure of close to $14,000,000 in the next two years. The eight films to be produced will be taken from companyowned properties and will be financed by his company from fees and profits from “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” and “4 for Texas,” produced for Warner Bros, release, and “Sodom and Gomorrah,” which he produced and 20th Century-Fox distributed in 1963. The Associates and Aldrich Co. will not limit its production activity to any one producer. Aldrich claimed that no money was available in this country for producers to make good, artistic or off-beat pictures to compete with the numerous top foreign films which have been having worldwide success. “It will be up to the producers themselves to gamble by cross-collaterizing with their successful commercial pictures, as well as reinvesting profits and fees, which we are doing,” Aldrich claimed. The first production to go before the cameras will be either “Cross of Iron,” a BBC teleplay by Lukas Heller, who also write the screenplay for “What Ever Happened to Cousin Charlotte?” an original story by Henry Farrell, author of the novel, “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” “The Tsar’s Bride,” a story by Aldrich, is being screenplayed by Robert Sherman; “Brouhaha,” a British play by George Tabori, and “Legend of Lylah Clare,” a DuPont Show-of-the-Week TV drama by Robert Thom, are also in work, and “Paper Eagle,” a novel-in-work by Tony Ellis; “Ghengis Khan’s Bicycle,” a Turkish play by Refik Erduran, and “There Really Was a Gold Mine,” a semisequel to “Vera Cruz” and “4 for Texas,” with Teddi Sherman to screenplay, are all on Aldrich’s active list. Screenplays have also been completed on “Now We Know,” a story by John O’Hara; “Vengeance Is Mine,” a screenplay by I. A. Bezzerides and Hugo Butler; “Potluck for Pomeroy,” “Too Late the Hero” and other properties include “The Strong Are Lonely” and “Pursuit of Happiness.” The TV series, “Mr. Man,” will star Victor Buono. 'Rape' Retitled 'Outrage' HOLLYWOOD — “The Outrage” has been selected by MGM as the new and final title for the projected film formerly called “The Rape.” Scheduled to go before the cameras in early December, with Paul Newman starring, the picture will have Martin Ritt directing and A. Ronald Lubin producing. Script is by Michael Kanin, who also will serve as associate producer. Robert Aldrich BOXOFFICE November 4, 1963 17