Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1963)

'%<xtlcf(va<yd TQefcont By SYD CASSYD ^JNIVERSAL has purchased an original screenplay, “All Kinds of People,” from William Inge, who wrote “Splendor in the Grass,” and Pulitzer Prize winning “Picnic.” Elliott Kastner has been assigned to produce, according to Edward Muhl, vicepresident in charge of production. The producer has three other projects on his schedule . . . Universal Studios will be the scene of the Gordon Kay production of “Fluffy,” right after the first of the year. The comedy written by Sam Roeca, in the form of an original screenplay, will get under way as a Gordon Kay & Associates project ... At Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Pandro S. Berman has selected the third of his productions, “The Venetian Affair,” and assigned George Wells to write the script of the Helen Maclnnes novel of an American newspaperman. His beat is worldwide . . . “In Training, Do Not Talk With Me,” a screenplay by Robert Kaufman, has been purchased by the Mirisch Corp. with the Roth-Kershner group on the production side. Leon Roth will produce and Irwin Kershner will direct the less than $1,000,000 budgeter. Production date set for next spring . . . Walter Shenson and United Artists Corp. have concluded an agreement with Britain’s singing group, “The Beatles,” for a feature film to be produced in London by Shenson next February. The latter did “The Mouse on the Moon.” Alun Owen, writer, will turn out an original screenplay for the comedy, with music to be directed by Richard Lester. An eight-week shooting schedule in black and white wide screen has been set for Pinewood Studios. Bi Robert H. Oliver will produce the Leo Guild version of the famous Fatty Arbuckle case. Greg Bautzer’s law firm represented Pageant Productions in the deal with GO Productions, which was going to produce it . . . Charles H. Schneer will produce for Columbia, “East of Khartoum,” with the screenplay written by Jud Kinberg and John Kohn ... A novel by Leslie Waller has been optioned by Delbert Mann. “The Banker” is scheduled for production by the Delbert Mann-Douglas Lawrence Productions Co. Another project on the board by the same company is “Quick Before It Melts,” with Dale Wasserman in the setup . . . Jack Arnold will direct Universal’s “The Lively Set,” with William Alland producing the film which will star James Darren. This is the sixth in the sessions with the two handling management and creativity . . . William Redlin will produce “Time Trap,” with Joan Woodbury set to direct the independent film . . . Andrew J. Fenady is trying to peddle his property, “The Syndicate Executioner,” having reportedly indicated he doesn’t have time to do the feature himself due to TV commitments . . . George Englund has been upped to producer ranks in a new deal he signed with Metro-Goldwyn Mayer calling for three pictures under their aegis. None of the films in the list have been called out, but he is currently doing a director’s job on “Signpost to Murder,” at the lot . . . Allan A. Buckhantz has taken on an associate producer, Igor Kantor, for the original screenplay, “Cross Tide,” by Edward J. Latso. Gyula Trebitsch is in charge for the production in Germany at Hamburg. Ernest Gann, instead of Andrew L. Stone, will write the script for “Winning of the Sky,” marking the first time in almost 20 years that anyone performed this stint for Stone. Gann wrote “The High and the Mighty.” However, Stone will write “The Secret of My Success,” another picture which he will produce and direct for MGM . . . Antone Productions has been formed by C. E. Goldstone and Tommy Sands to produce the latter’s screenplay “The Jasmine Story” . . . John Michael Hayes will script additional projects for Joseph E. Levine’s coproduction deal with Paramount . . . Richard E. Lyons and Burt Kennedy have teamed up on “The Rounders” for Metro with the story based on the talented Kennedy’s script. The novel by Max Evans was the source of the story. Kennedy will direct . . . Following the tragic death of President Kennedy, the producing team of Stuart Millar and Lawrence Turman reexamined “The Best Man” for changes in cutting. Gore Vidal, who was close to the late President’s family, was the writer of the script on the political campaigns and conventions. Some of the dialog is on the satirical side . . . George Pal has signed scripter David Hannan to do the Philip Wylie novel, “The Disappearance.” This is the first of a new two picture arrangement and is Pal’s sixth picture for MetroGoldwyn-Mayer . . . 20th-Fox has a large pen brigade working furiously on the script production line, 20 of them at work on 18 screenplays . . . Although Irving Berlin, Arthur Freed and script writer Arthur Laurent confer repeatedly, no starting date has been set for “Say It With Music” . . . Buzz Kulik put together a package with ingredients of Inger Stevens and Peter Falk, for “The Soho Judgment,” a war story by Adrian Spies . . . Columbia Pictures has signed Richard Allan Simmons to an exclusive feature deal. The Emmyaward winner also will script for the subsidiary Screen Gems. w With Natalie Wood set for “Cassandra at the Wedding,” Martin Manulis and director Serge Bourguinon (Oscar winner for “Sundays and Cybele”) leave for Rome to test leading men for a costar role opposite Miss Wood. The 20th-Fox film will be produced by Martin Manulis Productions, Four Star and Roma Productions . . . Bing Crosby goes dramatic in the A. C. Lyles production from Adrian Spies screenplay of “Choice of Violence,” which is based on the Hugh Pentecost novel . . . Buddy Hackett will show his strength in a ludicrous role to be played in American International’s “Muscle Beach Party” for AIP. The comedian has been joined by Don Rickies for the Bill Asher directed film . . . John Carradine, veteran thespian and film star, has been set by Tom Corradine, veteran television film producer and featuremaker to costar in “Depths of the Unknown,” from the screenplay by George Villiers . . . Ann-Margret has been signed to an MGM deal, which reportedly will bring her $1,000,000 for her work at the lot. Gertrude Astor returns to the screen in “My Fair Lady,” playing a cameo part in the George Cukor production . . . Hume Cronyn and Richard Burton team up in a Broadway production of Hamlet . . . Rod Taylor has been signed to star in “Fate Is the Hunter,” a modem adventure drama dealing with air safety investigation with Aaron Rosenberg producing for his Areola Productions and 20th-Fox release. B Filming on the John Huston-Ray Stark production of “Night of the Iguana,” was completed in Mexico a full week ahead of schedule. Release is scheduled for next spring or early summer of the MGM film . . . Bob Angus will go to Europe for his production of “The Other I,” a story by Yael Lotan, with Joyce Miller scripting the film. Spain and London areas will be used after first of the year . . . Following the trend toward exposes, and playing on the theme, the title, “Death Comes Cheap, Only the Burial’s Expensive,” Jay O. Lawrence will prepare a production for February . . . Pakula and Mulligan are dealing with Arnold Schulman for two more stories to follow “Love With the Proper Stranger,” which the team is kicking off with a supper in Hollywood, at the Screen Directors Guild theatre ... A casting director, Pam Polifroni and producer, Gene Banks, have worked out a deal with Actors Freeway Circuit, a Los Angeles off-Hollywood Boulevard group to handle casting for new faces in the theatre. Auditions are held in the surrounding Los Angeles area theatres. First try has been for television, where American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres “Day in Court” picked up 14 new people. * Dimitri Tiomkin, who is presently in London, has announced his acceptance of the assignment which Samuel Bronston preferred to him of general musical director of all Bronston productions. The move follows the maestro’s deal with National General’s Theatre -Vision for production of two musical spectaculars per year for the next five years, for the Talaria theatre television network. Tiomkin is presently scoring “Fall of the Roman Empire,” which he will also conduct . . . “Act One” musical score was written by Skitch Henderson, the Warner’s release of Moss Hart’s autobiography. This is Henderson’s first for a feature motion picture, Dore Schary having signed him to the triple job film, for which Schary wrote the screenplay, directed and produced. w Gene Kelly comes to Universal in the capacity of producer, director and actor in a new move which will give the Universal group the services of top talent. Kelly moves on to the lot in February . . . Bill Orr moves up as executive assistant to Jack Warner, following his assignment as producer of “Sex and the Single Girl.” 8 BOXOFFICE :: December 23, 1963