Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1963)

Opinions on Current Productions Feature reviews Symbol © denotes color; © CinemaScope; ® VistaVision; ® Technirama; © other anamorphic processes. For story synopsis on each picture, see reverse side. Who's Minding the Store? Si 0Come@ Paramount (6306) 90 Minutes Rel. Nov. ’63 Jerry Lewis certainly hits the comedy bull’s-eye in this hilarious Paul Jones production, the star’s best picture in years, or since the memorable “That’s My Boy” of 1951. The picture, in which Jerry wisely leaves the direction to Frank Tashlin, who also wrote the screenplay I with Harry Tugend, is so mad, mirthful and packed ,nt I , with inventive slapstick touches that it is reminiscent of 1 the Marx Bros, classics, even to the inclusion of a haughty dowager comedy foil, played by Isobel Elsom in the best Margaret Dumont manner. Jerry is terrific in his misadventures with other department store lady customers, including an Amazonian lady hunter and a fat woman seeking size-5 shoes for her size-10 foot, that most patrons will be weak from laughing. The supporting cast is also better than usual with Agnes Moorehead, as a domineering department store tycoon; John McGiver, as her spineless, kindly husband; Ray Walston, as a scheming store manager — all of them excellent, and Jill St. John to contribute the pulchritude and romance, which she does perfectly. This is Jerry at his befuddled best, particularly in the climax, in which a berserk vacuum cleaner makes a shambles of Miss Elsom and the entire store. Jerry Lewis, Agnes Moorehead, Jill St. John McGiver, Ray Walston, Isobel Elsom, Nancy Kulp. The Face of War °‘“M" Janus Films 105 Minutes Rel. Nov. ’63 Another compilation of newsreel shots made during the two World Wars and through the Korean conflict, this _,m documentary produced by Minerva Films of Stockholm circ and Nippon Elga Shinshu of Tokyo, has many impressive il f° film clips, some of them never before released. Directed by Tore Sjoberg, who did “Mein Kampf,” distributed by Columbia Pictures in 1961, this will attract seriousminded patrons, but it offers little that is new and can scarcely be classed as entertainment. Although much of the footage of war and its horrors will seem familiar, some Russian shots of World War II have been culled from Moscow archives and gruesome films taken in Hiroshima and Nagasaki following the atomic explosions, which were suppressed by the American authorities in 1945, are included to horrify the spectator. The film is best suited to a few selected art spots and might be shown to student matinees to acquaint them with the futility of war but it’s not for general bookings. Narration by Bryant Halliday is clear and concise, although there’s considerable repetition, such as “everybody loves a parade,” repeated many times as marching armies are shown, obviously for ironic emphasis. Erik Holm, Cordelia Lewis, C. D. B. Bryan and C. D. Brandt wrote the script. Europe in the Raw ^ Nov<Jlty Eve Productions 70 Minutes Rel. Shades of Allen Funt’s highly accoladed “Candid Camera” technique! Enterprising producer-directorcameraman Russ Meyer, trekking along the highways and byways of Europe, comes up with entertainment that can be aggressively, imaginatively sold to the male crowd in particular in the larger population centers. Using Eastman Color, he managed to combine both the “known” tourist sights in such municipalities as Paris, Brussels, Copenhagen, et al, as well as the exotic, namely the striptease practitioners, and just when the viewer gets accustomed to such goings-on, he’s tossed the unorthodox situation of hidden-camera-angled “shots” of prostitutes. This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, to be recommended for the naive, gullible i and impressionable. It’s strictly adult entertainment = | and best to be played off in the larger cities. The smaller communities, by tradition, seem to frown on such screen presentations, and where the local showman feels antagonism will be registered against his theatre and the film industry, it might well be a good idea to screen the attraction for reigning authorities. Meyer is not a novice; he has a keen awareness of what will register on the screen. Documentary by Russ Meyer. x-x 7 ■ iji T J _ Ratio: Melodrama Girl in Trouble 1S51 Vanguard Productions-SR 82 Minutes Rel. With as topical a theme as attainable and with as spirited and competent a cast as can be assigned, this modest Vanguard Productions International-states rights attraction, produced and directed by Lee Beale, from a taut, tight screenplay by Anthony Naylor, contains much that smacks of sleeper entertainment. The latter category, understandably, necessitates strong teaser promotion and word-of-mouth on the local level, but it’s indeed possible that once the pre-opening exploitation has swung into high gear, the boxoffices should be tinkling. The basic yarn of a runaway girl unable to cope with the harsh, realistic world of the big city, far from her idyllic country home, has been adapted in past efforts, true, but the audiences that flocked to view the latter 'Opc will want to watch the latest study, since it provides a convincing and compact showcase for some fresh and imaginative talent, most notably leading lady Tammy Clark, plus Neomi Salatich and Bettina Johnson in character delineations. Lee Beale’s directorial prowess is commendable; he knew what he wanted in tone and tension and, in the main, succeeded admirably. William Morris served as production supervisor. Tammy Clark, Ray Menard, Neomi Salatich, Larry Johnson, Martin Smith, Bettina Johnson. There Is Still Room in Hell Lake EnterprisesSR 90 Minutes Rel. July ’63 Some spirited delineations — particularly by the lissome leading lady, Barbara Valentin, whose most recent American effort was the impressive grossing “The Festival Girls” — elevate this independently made melodrama intriguingly backgrounded against international narcotics and rival gang wars for the tremendously valuable spoils into the category of mass entertainment. Miss Valentin’s name — and form — will mean much, particularly in the bigger cities, and the story theme is certain to lure much of the crowd that seemingly dotes on constant actionand-adventure, irregardless of illogical contrivances, plotting-wise. The girl is used as the go-between at the climactic showdown between two groups that greedily traffic in dope, and while the ending’s conveniently pat, there’s sufficient stress preceding an exciting chase-andeffect to please the bulk of the viewing audience. It should be sold as adult entertainment, and in full showmanship cognizance of the strikingly effective title, teaser ads may well be the “clincher” in pre-opening amusement page advertising. Miss Valentin’s provocative poster and photo poses could serve as basis of display activity in the central portions of metropolitan regions. Paul Glawion and Maria Vincent contribute importantly. Jou | Barbara Valentin, Paul Glawion, Maria Vincent. ~'1.ty' Playgirls International Westfield Productions-SR 71 Minutes Rel. Dec. ’63 Producer-director Doris Wishman serves an enterprising bit of entertainment in her latest study of human foibles and fallacies. The Cy Eichman screenplay, deceptively simple in concept and containment, spins off briskly enough, telling of “The Good Life” — i.e., enjoyment of human pleasures — against a colorful backdrop of world’s pleasure points, Paris, Las Vegas, et al. Skilfully enough, too, some of the best-known practitioners of entertainment quality — Louis Prima, long Las Vegas based — appear on camera. The Andy Kuehn narration (spoken by Leslie Daniel) will satisfy the post-21 audiences certain to be attracted to local playdates; he doesn’t get over-enthused, nor does he strive for subtleness that may well go handin-hand with a lecture platform. In some cities, of course, the more discriminating may find thmselves disappointed; this is, basically, a super-sophisticated nudity study, far indeed from the provocative aura of international heiresses cavorting on dad’s dough in plush pleasure places. Eastman Color ably has captured the mood and manner of the undraped female in the U.S., Europe, Asia and the far reaches of the Pacific, and, given an aggressive marketing pitch, this can chalk up Ua some mighty handsome boxoffice takes. — Betty Andrews, Eileen Traynor, Kenneth Andrews, <{es' Louis Prima Twist Show, Sam Butera and Witnesses. The reviews on these pages may be filed for future reference in any of the following ways: (1) in any standard three-ring loose-leaf binder; (2) individually, by company, in any stan dard 3x5 card index file; or (3) in the BOXOFFICE PICTURE GUIDE three-ring, pocket-size binder. The latter, including a year's supply of booking and daily business record sheets, may be obtained from Associated Publications, 825 Van Brunt Blvd., Kansas City 24, Mo., for $1.00, postage paid. 2784 BOXOFFICE BookinGuide :: Dec. 2, 1963 2783