The Exhibitor (1959)

Quality Films, Showmanship Prove insurance Against NEW YORK — Edward L. Hyman, vicepresident, American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, Inc., who, with Leonard H. Goldenson, president of that company, has spear¬ headed the campaign for the “orderly dis¬ tribution of quality product throughout the year,” has compiled his new release schedule covering the product of the major companies for the first six months in 1960 and beyond in some instances. Hyman stated that one of the most im¬ portant benefits to be derived from realizing orderly distribution is an orderly distribution of profits throughout the year, and his plans for the future will have that goal. He pointed out that the first and third calendar quarters of the year are generally good and com¬ parable but that the motion picture business slides in the second and fourth quarters. He feels that the more than usual amount of quality product made available by the dis¬ tributors during the September to year end period, coupled with the success of the September to year end drive now in its final month, is proof that there is nothing wrong with an “orphan” period which can¬ not be cured by a reasonable amount of quality product and all-out display of show¬ manship. Accordingly, Hyman revealed that he is now concentrating his attention on the other “orphan” period of the year, April, May, and June, and his current release schedule places special emphasis on these months. He is al¬ ready planning another drive for this period. Hyman will make his annual trip to Holly¬ wood in February and spend two weeks there visiting all of the studios, screening as many forthcoming pictures as are available and in¬ terviewing top studio personnel in order to gather as much information as possible about future releases and production plans and to effect an exchange of ideas. He will make his usual report from Hollywood covering these visits, screenings, and interviews. Hyman said he intends to make the two drives annual events insofar as AB-PT is concerned, with the April-May-June drive teeing off with a meeting at the Concord Hotel, Kiamesha Lake, N. Y. Hyman’s release schedule is as follows: JANUARY COLUMBIA — “Suddenly Last Summer,” with Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, Katherine Hepburn; “Who Was That Lady?” with Tony Curtis, Dean Martin, Janet Leigh; “The Gene Krupa Story,” with Sal Mineo, James Darren, Susan Kohner. MGM — “Never So Few,” with Frank Sinatra, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lawford; “The Gazebo,” with Glenn Ford, Debbie Reynolds. PARAMOUNT— “A Touch Of Larceny,” with James Mason, Vera Miles, George Sanders; reissues of “Country Girl” and “Bridges Of Toko-Ri.” 20TH-FOX— “The Story On Page One,” with Rita Hayworth, Anthony Franciosa, Gig Young; “Dog Of Flanders,” with David Ladd, Donald Crisp; “Seven Thieves,” with Rod Steiger, Edward G. Robinson, Joan Collins. UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL— “Private Lives Of Adam and Eve,” with Mickey Rooney, Mamie Van Doren; “Othello,” Rus¬ sian Cultural Exchange film. Orphan Periods UNITED ARTISTS— “Happy Anniversary,” with David Niven, Mitzi Gaynor; “Gunfighters Of Abilene,” with Buster Crabbe, Judith Ames; “The Pusher,” with Kathy Carlyle, Felice Orlandi; reissue of “Kiss Before Dying.” WARNERS— “Cash McCall,” with James Garner, Natalie Wood. ALLIED ARTISTS— “The Purple Gang,” with Barry Sullivan, Elaine Edwards. FEBRUARY COLUMBIA — “Our Man In Havana,” with Alec Guinness, Burl Ives, Maureen O’Hara, Ernie Kovacs; “Man On A String,” with Ernest Borgnine, Kerwin Matthews; “Babette Goes To War,” with Brigitte Bardot, Jacques Charrier. MGM — “The Subterraneans,” with Leslie Caron, Roddy McDowall; “Home From The Hill,” with Robert Mitchum, Eleanor Parker. PARAMOUNT— “Jack The Ripper,” Joe Levine production; “The Big Night,” with Randy Sparks, Dick Foran, Anna Lee; “Circus Stars,” Russian Cultural Exchange film. 20TH-FOX— “Crack In The Mirror,” with Orson Welles, Juliette Greco; “Sink The Bismark,” with Dana Wynter, Kenneth More; “The Rookie,” with Noonan and Marshall. UNIVERSALINTERNATIONAL — “Hell Bent For Leather,” with Audie Murphy, Felicia Farr; “Four Fast Guns,” with James Craig, Martha Vickers. UNITED ARTISTS— “On The Beach,” with Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins; “Dog’s Best Friend,” with Bill Williams, Marcia Henderson; “Vice Raid,” with Mamie Van Doren, Brad Dexter. WARNERS— “Life and Death Of Legs Diamond,” with Ray Denton, Karen Steele; “Rachel Cade,” with Peter Finch, Angie Dickinson. BUENA VISTA— “Toby Tyler,” with Kevin Corcoran, Gene Sheldon. ALLIED ARTISTS — “Bluebeard’s Ten Honeymoons,” with George Sanders, Corinne Calvet; “Raymie And The Barricuda,” with David Ladd, Julie Adams. MARCH COLUMBIA— “Once More With Feeling,” with Yul Brynner, Kay Kendall, Gregory Ratoff; “Killers Of Kilimanjaro,” with Robert Taylor, Anne Aubrey; “Comanche Station,” Randolph Scott, Nancy Gates. MGM — “The Time Machine,” with Rod Taylor, Alan Young; “Please Don’t Eat The Daisies,” with Doris Day, David Niven, Janis Paige; “The Last Voyage,” with Robert Stack, Dorothy Malone, George Sanders. PARAMOUNT— “Chance Meeting,” with Hardy Kruger, Micheline Presle; “Heller With A Gun,” with Sophia Loren, Anthony Quinn; “Jovanka,” (special engagements only), with Vera Miles, Silvana Mangano, Barbara Bel Geddes, Van Heflin. 20TH-FOX— “Wild River,” with Lee Remick, Montgomery Clift; “Desire In The Dust,” cast to be announced; “Wake Me When It’s Over,” with Van Heflin, Ernie Kovacs, Jack Warden; “Can Can” (Todd-AO houses only), with Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Maurice Chevalier. UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL — “Head Of A Tyrant,” cast not available; “Too Young To Love,” cast not available; reissue of “The Glenn Miller Story.” UNITED ARTISTS— “The Fugitive Kind,” with Marlon Brando, Anna Magnani, Joanne Woodward; “Oklahoma Territory,” with Bill Williams, Gloria Talbott. WARNERS — “Guns Of Timberland,” with Alan Ladd, Jeanne Crain. ALLIED ARTISTS— “The Hypnotic Eye,” with Jacques Bergerac, Allison Hayes. APRIL COLUMBIA — “The Mountain Road,” with James Stewart, Lisa Lu; “Because They’re Young,” with Dick Clark, Victoria Shaw, Tuesday Weld; “Search For Chorefto,” with Maria Schell, Cliff Robertson. MGM — “The Platinum High School,” with Mickey Rooney, Terry Moore; “Bells Are Ringing,” with Judy Holliday, Dean Martin; “The Day They Robbed The Bank Of Eng¬ land,” with Aldo Ray, Hugh Griffith, Albert Sharpe. PARAMOUNT — “Visit From A Small Planet,” with Jerry Lewis, Joan Blackman. 20TH-FOX — “Sons and Lovers,” with Vivian Leigh, Dean Stock well; “The Story Of Ruth,” with Elana Eden, Stephen Boyd. UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL — “Snow Queen,” full length color cartoon feature. UNITED ARTISTS — “The Unforgiven, ” with Burt Lancaster, Audrey Hepburn; “House On Airport Drive,” with Cameron Mitchell, Steve Brodie; reissue of “Alexander The Great” and another feature to be de¬ termined. WARNERS— “This Rebel Breed,” with Rita Moreno, Mark Damon; “Tall Story,” with Anthony Perkins, Ray Walston, Jane Fonda. BUENA VISTA— “Kidnapped,” with James MacArthur, Peter Finch. ALLIED ARTISTS— “Pay Or Die,” with Ernest Borgnine. LATER RELEASES COLUMBIA— May: “All The Young Men,” with Alan Ladd, Sidney Poitier, James Darren; “Enemy General,” with Van Johnson, Jean Pierre Aumont; “Stranglers Of Bombay,” with Guy Rolfe; “Zex,” with Rod Cameron, Mary Murphy; “Crescendo” (special release only), Dirk Bogarde, Capucine. June: “Gulliver’s Travels,” with Kerwin Matthews, Jo Morrow; “Let No Man Write My Epitaph,” with Burl Ives, Shelley Winters, James Darren; “War In Space,” Japanese film. July: “Strangers When We Meet,” with Kim Novak, Kirk Douglas; “Rin Tin Tin,” dog film; “Nights Of Lucretia Borgia,” with Belinda Lee. August: “Surprise Package,” with Yul Brynner, Mitzi Gaynor; “Pepe,” with Cantinflas, Dan Dailey; “Caves Of The Night,” with Cornel Wilde, Jean Wallace. September: “I Aim At The Stars,” with Curt Jurgens, Victoria Shaw; “Kingdom Of Man,” with Richard Widmark, (Continued on page 17) 12 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR December 9, 1959