20th Century-Fox Dynamo (February 1960)

A FACT-BASED PLEDGE FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCTION HEAD By BUDDY ADLER A Diverse Output Of Mass Appeal Without any reservations whatsoever I predict that the 30 attrac- tions in CinemaScope that our studio and independent producers will deliver this year will, quantitatively and particularly qualitatively, constitute the finest mass entertainments created by any studio. And, I make that statement with boxoffice returns in mind. In venturing that prediction I am not basing it on exuberance, wishful thinking or speculation of any kind. On the contrary, I am basing it on the fact that these entertainments, dwelling on a multi- tude of diverse themes, are, or will be, picturizations of great story properties brought to screen life by a creative personnel determined to make this the outstanding year, product-wise, in the history of this company and performed by a galaxy of fine box office stars and an abundance of new talent that, together, will competently and success- fully meet the challenge of keener competition for public patronage. We will this year produce more “block-buster” types of mass entertainments than this or any other studio has delivered in any four combined seasons. In today’s market we must be realistic, and that is precisely what I am being in briefly sharing with the sales department and exhibitors knowledge of what this studio will achieve this year. We are fully aware of exhibition requirements for profitable operation. We are fully aware that, in justifying the record increased investment this company is making in 1960-61 production, we must place on a discriminating market a continuous flow of entertainments with unfailing mass box office potency. This year this studio will make available to exhibitors a minimum of one “block-buster” per month. Audience reaction at a half score previews of our Todd-AO produc- tion of Cole Porter’s “Can Can” indicates we have the greatest musical of all time. I have seen in completed rough-cut or enough of Darryl Zanuck’s “Crack In The Mirror”, Mervyn LeRoy’s “Wake Me When It’s Over”, Sam Engel’s “The Story Of Ruth”, Elia Kazan’s “Wild River”, Mark Robson’s “From The Terrace”, Jerry Wald’s “Sons And Lovers” and “Let’s Make Love” and Charles Brackett’s “High Time” to predict they will achieve tremendous box office success for long periods of time everywhere. Now on our stages, on location, ready for filming or in preparation for production by the end of July we have these additional 1960 attractions based on best-sellers, important plays or timely original stories s Jerry Wald’s “Return To Peyton Place” and “High Heels”, Richard Zanuck’s “Sanctuary” (tentative title for “Requiem For A Nun”), Charles Brackett’s sequel to “Blue Denim” and Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s “State Fair”, Dick Powell’s “Big River, Big Man” and “Solo”, Sam Engel’s “The King Must Die”, Irwin Allen’s “The Lost World”, David Weisbart’s “The Live Wire” and “The Comancheros”, my own personal production in Todd-AO of “John Brown’s Body” with screenplay and direction by Joseph Mankiewicz, Sydney Boehm’s “One Foot In Hell”, the Stevens-Colbert pleturization of “The Mar- riage-Go-Round”, “The Alaskans”, Walter Wanger’s “Cleopatra” and “Mountolive”, George Stevens’s “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, “O Mistress Mine” and three others from Darryl Zanuck. I firmly believe the foregoing constitutes a program of individ- ually outstanding mass entertainments that, properly exploited and sold to their vast audience potential, will meet with mutual profit and public satisfaction every test and make 1960 for their exhibitors throughout the world their most successful year. I reiterate, in my opinion, this is a great product, and experience continues to prove that great product makes great box office. 5