The Exhibitor (1959)

16 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR LONDON Observations by Jock MacGregor BRITAIN’S LARGEST STUDIOS at Shepperton have the Hollywood look these days. When I dropped in for lunch recently, shooting was progressing on three features and a TV series. Among the stars on call were Alec Guinness, Elizabeth Taylor, Burl Ives, Maureen O’Hara, Kath¬ erine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift, Noel Coward Mercedes McCambridge, Ralph Richard¬ son, Jo Morrow, Michael Rennie, and Venetia Stevenson — an impressive roster for any lot. The two biggest productions are for Columbia release. Ironically, it was on the smallest stage that I found Sir Carol Reed directing Alec, Burl, and Maureen in a scene for the Grahame Greene thriller, “Our Man in Havanna,” and appropriately enough the setting was Cuba. Production is nearly completed on this black and white CinemaScoper after a loca¬ tion trip to the Caribbean and some weeks in the studio. With Halsey Raines, formerly of MGM’s office and currently American publicist on the picture, I could well have been on “the coast.” The illusion was even greater on the fabulous set for Sam Spiegel’s “Suddenly, Last Summer,” which Joseph L. Mankiewicz is directing. Though closed to the press as a whole, I was a welcomed visitor. This must be the most American picture ever to be made here. Even the locale is the deep south of Tennessee Williams, and Oliver Messel’s southern man¬ sion with its sunken water gardens and near tropical plants seems wholly in keeping. Here Hepburn and Clift were enacting a dramatic scene. With the powerful lights help¬ ing to create a humid, sultry atmosphere, I felt I was in Louisiana. Elizabeth Taylor, who also stars, I find qualifies as a British actress as far as the quota act is concerned. Repre¬ senting Bill Blowitz on the floor is Harold Salemson, who like Halsey Raines is thoroughly enjoying working here. Leaving this “little America” I found myself all but driving on the wrong side of the road! IN ITS SECOND annual report, the breakaway Federation of British Film Makers reveals that it has pulled no punches in its fight to put over its policies. This is particularly evident in correspondence with the Board of Trade. It does not favor steps to make Anglo-Amer¬ ican production more difficult with added restrictions for driving away from British studios important productions. It also regards as impractical and unprofitable suggestions that all prints should include a title stating, “This is a British Him.” Logically, it reasons that politi¬ cal feeling or audience prejudices may result in such hilling being a handicap. “We can¬ not force British films on markets which do net desire them,” the report states. MOTHER AND MOVIE STAR takes the kids in hand /o aud ence in a darkened theatre to identify with the characters on-screen. It stands to reason that as the bulk of the audience shifts to the younger segment of our population, they seek identification with per¬ formers more nearly in their own age groups John Crawford is a star of real magnitude, and there is not much about the film industry with which she is riot familiar. As a mother, she also realizes the problems of youth and is well qualified to speak to them Twentieth has shown real showmanship sense in obtaining the services of one of the real Queens of the screen to introduce a young star just beginning her climb to stardom The young Miss Lyniey is the kind of motion picture personality that young moviegoers are looking for She could receive no better introduction than the one Joan Crawford has provided Our salute to Joan Crawford for her salute to BLUE DENIM* A few names in the movie business carry such identification and such importance that an endorse¬ ment by one of them immediately becomes a. valu¬ able merchandising aid You could all name your favorites among this group We are sure that every¬ body s list of JO best would include, somewhere the n’^1%^ Cr^Cvford Joan Crawford, as a parent Jncf a movie star, is “mothering' BLUE ©EyiM^lie, like we, loves this picture and think$lpfi*has something important to say Therefore, she appears iv'the theatre trailer to introduce the subject andjuf^unch the young stars, Carol Lyniey, Brandon dbC^ilde, and Warren Berlinger She also is featured oh the TV trailers which Twentieth has available to showmen And her narration has been picked up for the smart set of radio spots that Twentieth also makes available gratis for promotion of BLUE DENIM One of the more potent attractions of screen entertainment has always been the ability of the 8 Seen is star Joan Crawford preparing to film the BLUE DENIM trailer with Academy Award winning director of photography Bill Mellor. Miss Crawford will talk up BLUE DENIM in theatres and on TV. July 22, 19 51) This display for Allied Artists' "The Big Circus" was recently set up in the lobby of the Midtown, Philadelphia. Seen along with the clowns and balloons is manager Norman Gordon. Circus Winter Home Scene Of AA Premiere SARASOTA, FLA. — The southern premiere of Allied Artists’ “The Big Circus” recently at the downtown Florida, managed by Carlton Bowden, brought a swirl of excitement to this Florida tourist resort which is appro¬ priately known as the “circus capital of the world.” In addition to being winter quarters for Ringling Bros, and Barnum and Bailey’s Circus, Sarasota is the home of many famous circus performers, the Circus Hall of Fame, and the Ringling Museum of Art. The theatre was transformed into a circus wonderland, in addition to “The Big Circus” on the screen. There were performing chim¬ panzees, clowns, trick dogs, and even the never-to-be-forgotten smell and feel of saw¬ dust on the lobby floor. The hurdy-gurdy atmosphere of the circus was also helped out by the music of a real circus calliope. A mo¬ bile unit of local Radio Station WKXY was on hand to describe the entertainment acts on stage to radio listeners. Also heralding the premiere at the Florida was a pre-opening souvenir edition of the Sarasota News, local daily, which had a com¬ plete front page devoted to ballyhoo for “The Big Circus.” The theatre’s program for the opening included a full hour and a half’s stage entertainment before the first screening of the film at 8:30 P.M. NTA Plans Expansion NEW YORK— It was learned last week from Harold Goldman, president, National Tele¬ film Associates, that the company was laying plans to invest in feature film production and distribute movies on a national basis. In addition, he said, NTA International will continue its recently inaugurated program of acquiring foreign films for both theatres and television. NTA also serves as a producer of TV films, operator of several television stations, and supplier of a vast library of feature films bought from Hollywood producers for show¬ ing on TV. Earlier this year, NTA was acquired by National Theatres, which operates almost 300 theatres. Meanwhile, J. Remi Crasto, prominent in the Far and Near East motion picture field for many years, has been named to represent both NTA International and American In¬ ternational Pictures, Inc., in those areas. For AIP, Crasto will serve as special representa¬ tive, Far and Near East; for NTA Interna¬ tional, he will serve as general manager.