The Exhibitor (1960)

Left to right are Cary Grant, Doris Day, Gregory Peck, Lana Turner, and Rex Harrison. f Universal’s settlement with the Screen \ Writers Guild put a whole brace of additional j pictures back into the production scheduling i which Rackmil had originally outlined last I January. David Goodman is completing the : script of “The Ugly American” based on the I sensational best-seller which will star Marlon I Brando and be produced by George Englund. I John Huston is completing preparations on I his production “The Freud Story,” which he i will follow with “The Man Who Would Be I King,” based on the famous Rudyard Kipling I story. Rome locations are being set for “Back Street,” based on the classic Fannie Himst novel which will star Susan Hayward and B John Gavin. I Besides “Day of the Gun,” two additional I pictiures are being prepared for Rock Hudson. I “Come September,” his first independent production which U-I will also release, is ex Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida pected to go into production this summer and will co-star Gina Lollobrigida in a script written by Stanley Shapiro and Maurice Richlin, authors of the scripts for “Operation Petticoat” and “Pillow Talk.” The other Rock Hudson pictiure will be “The Spiral Road,” based on the Jan de Hartog novel with a script by NeU Paterson, who wrote the screenplay for “Room At the Top.” Also among the 16 productions listed by Universal in the Company’s eight-page trade advertisement were the Gregory Peck star¬ ring vehicle “The Executioners,” a Melville Production which is to be produced by Sy Bartlett from a script by James Webb. “Tammy Tell Me True,” based on the novel by Cid Ricketts Sumner and a sequel to the phenomenally successful ‘“Tammy and the Bachelor” is also listed. Oscar Brodney, who wrote the script for “Tammy and the Bache¬ lor” is working on the new script which is to star Sandra Dee. Richard Widmark is listed to star in “The Secret Ways” and William Well¬ man’s production of “The S.O.B.’s” which Herbert Margolis is scripting and which Wellman will direct, adds another impressive name to the U-I roster. A second Tony Curtis picture, “The Wine of Youth” which George Zuckerman is preparing from the Robert Wilder novel is also in the Universal presentation. Wilder’s novel “Written on the Wind” became one of Universal’s big box office successes a few years back. And then there are the pictures not listed in the ad which provide additional evidence for exhibitors throughout the world of the Universal credo that “names make news and also box office success.” Janet Green who wrote the script of “Sapphire” and the British stage play “Matilda Shouted Fire,” which is the basis of “Midnight Lace,” has just com¬ pleted with John McCormack the script of “A Gathering of Eagles” which Robert Arthur will produce. William Rose is working on the script of “Elephant Hill” based on the suc¬ cessful novel by Robin White which will star Susan Hayward. Lawrence Roman is work¬ ing on the script of “In the Wrong Rain” based on the novel by Robert K. Kirsch, which is yet to be cast. Stewart Stem is writing the screenplay for “The Sixth Man,” the story of Ira Hayes, the Pima Indian hero of Iwo Jima in World War II, which is based on the best-seller “The Hero of Iwo Jima” by William Bradford Huie, to be produced by Sy Bartlett. Also in preparation are scripts of “Peter and Catherine” to star one of Hollywood’s foremost actors not previously identified with the Company’s current emphasis on top names; “Kitten With A Whip” which is men¬ tioned as a second picture to star Richard Widmark and a story with a musical back¬ ground titled “And the Band Played On.” There are also plans for a third picture to star Cciry Grant after “The Grass Is Greener;” an important Bryna Production “Montezuma” for Kirk Douglas and a Pennybaker produc¬ tion “Daffy” to star Sandra Dee in a “Blue Denim” t5rpe of story. However, while Universal’s emphasis dur¬ ing 1960, 1961 and beyond that will be on top name productions, there will also be a nmnber of special “exploitation-type” pictures. Currently in production are “College Con¬ fidential,” the Albert Zugsmith production starring Steve Allen, Jayne Meadows, Walter Winchell and a host of guest stars and top columnists of the nation, and the Jack H. Harris production “Dinosaurus,” both of which will be released by U-I and both of which have those so-called “built-in show¬ manship values.” Scheduled to start in May will be “Seven Ways to Sundown” a new Audie Murphy picture in Color and widescreen based on a novel by Claire Huffaker which Gordon Kay will produce. There is also a second Audie Murphy picture which has been added to the Universal schedule which is being prepared under the title of “Hell Is A High Place.” These are the production plans which Rackmil outlined to his executives at the week-long Sales Executives Conference last January. They represent one of the greatest concentrations of star power in the history of the industry and a potential production in¬ vestment topping anything in the previous history of Universal. They will be endowed with the added ingredient that has enabled Universal to forge ahead during the past year — they will be thoroughly “Pre-Sold” by Universal’s aggressive advertising, publicity. Peter Ustinov and Jean Simmons and promotion forces before they reach the box offices of the world. Universal continued a production surge, al¬ though the rest of the industry was strike¬ bound. This continuation echoed the philoso¬ phy of company president Milton R. Rackmil, who constantly tries to give the general public the highest quality product in an ever-constant flow. Once again, Universal-International pro¬ claimed that “Names make news and also box office success” by continuing to provide names for a product-himgry public. Much of the same policy is expected throughout the year by this busiy studio. Lana Turner and Anthony Quinn in a tense scene from "Portrait in Black," which also stars Sandra Dee, John Saxon, Lloyd Nolan, Ray Walston, Virginia Gray, Anna May Wong, and Richard Basehart. It will be released early this summer.