20th Century-Fox Dynamo (February 1960)

DESIGN FOR PERPETUITY continued from PAGE THREE Meeting Decade’s New Challenge A Continuous Flow Of Product Tailored To Requirements Of Every Theatre And Backed With All-Media Promotion Drive Todd-AO, will be presented as a road-show. We will release one “family trade” type attraction per month. We have acquired for domestic release from the Arthur Rank Organization seven productions based on excellent stories with sterling casts of international stars, and each a credit to our industry. We will have such showmanship specials like “Masters Of The Cong Jungle”, sponsored by His Majesty, Leopold III, of Belgium, and “When Comedy Was King”. We will offer also a minimum of 12 action, outdoor, science- fiction and Western screenplays. The foregoing product will he written, produced and directed by the best craftsmen in those facets of picture-making. They will he performed by such stars as Frank Sinatra, Paul Newman, Clark Gable, Gregory Peck, Pat Boone, Montgomery Clift, Anthony Franciosa, Alec Guinness, Robert Wagner, Maurice Chevalier, Don Murray, Clifton Webb, Elvis Presley, Stephen Boyd, Bing Crosby, Gig Young, Howard Trevor, Edward G. Rob- inson, Dick Bogarde, Orson Welles, John Wayne, Rod Steiger, Tony Randall, Louis Jourdan, Kenneth More, Ernie Kovacs, Robert Morley, Milton Berle, Eli Wallach, Rita Hayworth, Joan Collins, Dana Wynter, Eva Bartok, Ingrid Bergman, Joanne Woodward, Lee Remick, Lauren Bacall, Juliette Greco, Myrna Loy, Marilyn Monroe, Wendy Hiller, Peggy Woods, Taina Elg, Carol Lynley, Hope Lange, Joan Crawford, Mary lire, Brigitte Bardot, Susan Hayward, Jennifer Jones, Deborah Kerr, Dolores Michaels, Suzy Parker, Elizabeth Taylor, Shirley MacLaine, Bar- rie Chase, Heather Sears, Viveca Lindfors, Laraine Day, Julie London and others. Additionally, these new young stars, most of whom are bene- ficiaries of our talent development program, will also appear in our 1960 attractions: Stuart Whitman, Bradford Dillman, Dean Stockwell, Diane Baker, Millie Perkins, Fabian, Gary Crosby, Barbara Eden, Jill St. John, Ray Stricklyn, Richard Beymer, May Britt, Barry Coe, John Gabriel, David Hedison and others. I predict that this year these comparative newcomers will achieve important stardom by being popularly acclaimed for the excellence of their talents: Yves Montand and Frankie Vaughn in the Marilyn Monroe picture, u Let’s Make Love”; Elana Eden who plays the title part in “The Story Of Ruth”; Ina Ballin whom you will see in “From The Terrace”, and Margo Moore and Dick Shawn who are co-starred in “Wake Me When It’s Over.” But, Mr. Adler and all of our producers will not consider their tasks terminated with completion of their respective pic- tures. Instead, our creative and performing personnel will directly participate in the public promotion of their pictures. Producers, directors, writers and players under contract to Twentieth Century-Fox will go into the field and person- ally engage in not only national, but, whenever feasible, also in the local level promotion. Our advertising, publicity and exploitation expenditure for this year is the largest in our history. We have established advertising, publicity and exploita- tion units in every territory to work on the local-level, not only with key-city first-run exhibitors, but with operators of all theatres. To insure a thorough coverage of our market we are going into the homes of our potential ticket-buyers. This we will do through television and radio advertising. We are aware, too, that today millions of potential ticket- buyers are on the highways in their automobiles... and we will take our advertising message to them on every picture through radio advertising. We have made provisions, too, for substantially increased use of newspapers and magazines in publicizing our product. No matter how outstanding a motion picture may he, in this market its box office fate largely depends more than ever on its thorough and efficient exploitation. But, our promotion activity will not he confined exclusively to the “block-busters”. We will get solidly behind every release on a scale com- mensurate with its patronage potential. If this statement, briefly outlining our program for per- petuity, abounds with enthusiasm, it is because I am very en- thusiastic, very optimistic and very excited with what I know our studio will deliver to our sales personnel, to exhibitors and to the public, and with the merchandising plans we have in operation. We know that we can serve best our corporate interests only if we best serve the exhibitors of our attractions and the vast public we seek to patronize them. The prosperity of motion picture theatres—all of them— is indispensibly and inseparably linked with the prosperity of this company. We consider exhibitors more than just customers; we ac- cept them as partners in a mutual all-out drive to make the 1960 ’s the most prosperous era in the annals of theatre motion picture presentation. The opportunity and means to bring about such a result are at hand. Twentieth Century-Fox will do its full part, and do so working hand in hand with exhibitors—and with a continu- ous consciousness of their requirements. Of that you may be positive. FOOTNOTES TO THE 1960-61 PRODUCT STORY Yves Montand (page 62), who makes his American film debut in “Let’s Make Love” (page 61), has been cast by Jerry Wald for the male lead in “The Bohemian”. Because of his excellent performance in his first picture, Mervyn LeRoy’s “Wake Me When It’s Over” (page 40), the studio has signed Dick Shawn to a long-term contract. Richard Fleischer, who directed “Crack In The Mirror” (page 36) and last year’s “Compul- 4 sion”, has been signed to a long term contract by Darryl Zanuck. He will direct the latter’s next 1960 production, “The Big Gamble” (page 71). Incidentally, “The Big Gamble” is Zanuck’s most important and costlier production for this year, with a four-month “shooting” schedule in England, France and Africa. The Marshall and Noonan comedy team’s next production to be filmed at the 20th Century- Fox Studios under Buddy Adler’s supervision, in CinemaSeope with De Luxe Color, will be “Up The River”. Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen have written a catchy song carrying the LeRoy picture’s title, “Wake Me When It’s Over”. Andy Williams of TV-fame has recorded it for Cadence Records. Alec Guinness, Academy Award winner for his performance in “The Bridge On The River Kwai”, has signed to play the principal role in the picturization of Alistair MacLean’s novel, “South *Of Java Head”, which Sydney Boehm is adapting and will produce for 1961 release.