Canadian Film Digest (Nov 1972)

Page 10 November 1972 TORONTO SEES PUBLICITY TOUR AND GALA OPENING FOR... It all happened in the Queen City itself. Toronto was the scene of a hectic, successful North American premiere of Columbia Pictures’ Young Winston. Four days of interviews, parties, and brunches, combined with full scale co-operative . promotions, resulted in an almost record breaking box office. Active publicity by Producer-writer Carl Foreman, Director Richard Attenborough, and Star Simon Ward was scheduled to begin on October 3rd, but Columbia Publicity Head Maureen O’Donnell started events rolling long before. A contest with Toronto Calendar Magazine, (circulation 150,000 into higher income homes), BOAC airlines, and Columbia was organized to tie in with the film. The publishers of Winston Churchill’s early writings were bringing out special paperbacks to coincide with the film’s opening, and lavish displays with co-operating book stores were set up. Sheets promoting the books and the movie “were placed in department and other stores, and special newspaper coverage was arranged: The Toronto Star devoted most of the front page of its Family Section to recipes for an English Breakfast with comments from the star and director of the film. The city was saturated. A complex schedule of interviews and guest appearances was set up for Ward, Foreman, and Attenborough. In order to obtain complete efficiency, two freelance publicity persons were brought in to serve full time. O’Donnell herself would assist Foreman; Fiona Mitchell of Folio Productions was assigned to Attenborough, and Pat Tompson to Simon Ward. photo: Sandy Solmon Television and radio interviews were a mixture of local and national exposure. CBC’s Take 30, CTV’s Canada A.M., Elwood Glover (twice), as well as local outlets CITY TV, and various radio shows were included. Newspapers included’ the three Toronto dailies, and further print coverage was obtained from magazine interviews. Simon Ward was the first to arrive. Ward hates flying — ‘I spend the whole time sitting on the floor. How do they ever get the thing UP there?’’ — and flew from New York in the morning; his first in IRR wigs os Producer Carl Foreman Inspects the Honour Guard Odeon President Chris Salmon with Director Richard Attenboroug ~~ a4 ‘s % i aes Fe SEpabe” Left to Right: Attenborough, Star Place’s Ann McRoberts, Foreman photo: Sutton Place _ 6 TE 7S "> Wag oA q ~ wee 32° ee ~~ “oa <a ae 4... 2 \o a Simon Ward, Columbia’s Maureen O’Donnell, Sutton terview was tor lunch. Foreman and ; Attenborough arrived by plane from New York that night. It was a return visit for Foreman: he was last in the city for « promotion on The Victors several years before. Sutton Place Hotel was the headquarters and their quarters, with only several minor annoyances. Ward was forced to take a cold shower at 5:30 a.m. because the hot water was off, and paint was wet in the elevator. But they all apprecited the view of the city, the location, and the service and food. Any schedule of interviews resembles a Keystone Cops movie, but this was multiplied by two. Limousines running in and out, phones ringing to check and double-check, in and out of the CBC parking lot on Jarvis Street, up to the ‘hotel and away from the hotel, get dressed, change, meet him, now him, now her, don’t forget this, have you got your key? where can I get a taxi? what’s that building over there? ‘ But there are crystal clear moments too. The phone-in show where the very refined, open Simon Ward is suddenly plunged into a too-open discussion of his wedding night. Being asked the same questions over and over again, then someone asks a good one. Then the evening of the Premiere arrives. The Odeon-Fairlawn theatre is readied by placing an honor guard, canopy, and searchlight. The out-of-town press travels from its hotel in a doubledecker English bus. A crowdis outside the theatre and the audience, lavishly dressed, arrives slowly for the 8:30 curtain. Earlier in the afternoon Foreman had taken time off to check the print of the film. Screenings were held earlier in the week for the press — the film people had insisted that anyone who was to interview them must see the movie first — but Foreman was concerned. A special set-up had been developed for the camera during shooting to insure best and most accurate color. After the premier the Young Winston participants were not happy with the print shown. —,. af ri is pes Che € Foreman bids farewell as he leaves early for New York Simon Ward, who plays Young Winston himself But the audience obviously was happy with the movie shown. The celebrities arrived and were introduced at about 8:45 and the film commenced. After the showing, a select, Columbiainvited gathering adjourned to the Wellesley Hall of the Sutton Place Hotel for a midnight English breakfast featuring kippers, an English mixed grill, scones, marmalades, and so on. The gathering lasted until after one a.m., and’ everyone obviously enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. The stars retired to their suites, but although the premiere was over, the work was not. On the next day, after a late rising, the finale took place. A Press Brunch was held at the Park Plaza Hotel for various magazines, out-of-town newspapers, and so on. About thirty people were seated at four circular tables. Fach of the celebrities ate lunch with one en Te al a