Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1957)

ANALYSIS DF THE PRODUCT M*aramouit t Paramount's Spring-Summer line-up, including films set through August, bodes a steady, albeit sparing, supply of boxoffice product. Limited to a single new release in both April and June, and but a pair for the other three months, the caliber of the pictures bears a potential for better-than-average grosses for the most part. Production values are on a top-drawer level, all in VistaVision and half tinted in Technicolor as well. Two of the seasonal The law catches up with Jerry Lewis in ''The Delicate Delinquent". releases rate the Crown for boxoffice achievement possibilities on the basis of cast and story assets. The Decoration Day release, Hal Wallis' "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" has two top names in Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, playing Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, respectively; IndeAdvance word on the latter has been very good. Both of these are detailed in the Crown section. The balance of the slate is well-stocked with showmanship possibilities that could lift any of them into the better grosser category. "The Delicate Delinquent" showcases Jerry Lewis in his first solo effort, a serious one at that. This July release in VistaVision should prove a crowd-pleaser, given the right promotional backing. The erstwhile pendence Day will see Bob Hope as the late Mayor Jimmy Walker in "Beau James", comic gets assists from Darren McGavin, Martha Hyer. "The Lonely Man" teams tough-guy Jack Palance and new star Anthony Perkins in a western for June circulation. It has the looks of a powerful one. In VistaVision. "The Buster Keaton Story", currently in release, topcasts Donald O'Connor as the famed screen comedian, with support furnished by Rhonda Fleming Ann Blyth. "Omar Khayyam", VistaVision-Technicolor adventure, brings Cornel Wilde to the screen in a swashbuckling, romantic role. Rounding out a balanced cast: Debra Paget, John Derek, Michael Rennie, Raymond Massey. For August. "Funny Face", already in release and already recipient of fine critical notices. Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn team to brilliant advantage, aided by the incisive wit and talent of Kay Thompson. This comedy musical is in VistaVision and Technicolor. "Loving You", the upcoming Elvis Presley starrer, is as yet undated. In VistaVisicn and Technicolor it also topcasts Lizabeth Scott, Wendell Corey. If the wiggling yodeler's popularity hasn't waned, this is a good prospect. The lives of great entertainers make great movie entertainment! "For Whom The Bell Tolls" is in current re-release. This is the Gary Cooper-Ingrid Bergman interpretation of famed Hemingway novel, in Technicolor. Towering, of course, above all the current product is Cecil B. DeMille's colossal epic of the Old Testament, "The Ten Commandments". Columbia Columbia will prove a highly serviceable source of product to theatremen during the warm-weather season. Boasting a release schedule that averages one picture per week through the May-August period, this company displays an unbroken succession of meaty dramas and action films that will be a special joy to those theatres whose patrons dote on such solid fare. This is not to say that variety is lacking, but rather that the range of choice is a wide one within the dramatic category. There is the sultry and actionful "Fire Down Below", a July release further expounded in the Boxoffice Crowns section, marking the eventful return of Rita Hayworth to the screen with Robert Mtichum and Jack Lemmon as costars. There is the highly emotional and tragic story of "Jeanne Eagels" (Kim Novak-Jeff Chandler), another Crowning b.o. achievement choice due in August. Going beyond these two standouts, there is the grim and offbeat drama, "The Strange One", a current release, with Ben Gazzara making an impressive screen bow as the "fascinating louse" who becomes the virtual dictator of a military school before he meets his come-uppance. There is the big outdoor adventure "3:10 to Yuma", due in July with Glenn Ford, Van Heflin and Felicia Farr topcast. And there is the dramatic story of the survivors of a sunken liner, "Abandon Ship" (Tyrone Power-Mai Zetterling-Lloyd Nolan), also now in release. What else comprises Columbia's warmweather schedule? Look at these: Currently in release: "Hellcats of the Navy" (Ronald Reagan, Nancy Davis), drama of the Navy in war: "Sierra Stranger" (Howard Duff), outdoor programmer; "The Burglar" (Jayne Mansfield, Dan Duryea), crime melodrama. "1 he Garment Jungle" stars "The Garment Jungle", for June release, a tough broiling drama of union "goons" in (Continued on Page 42) Film BULLETIN May 13, 1957 Page 39