The Exhibitor (1963)

Continued • tunate. That Paramount has four indicates the great confi¬ dence their producers have in the company. Also of exceptional quality and with enormous boxoffice potenial are Pakula-Mulligan’s “Love With the Proper Stranger,” starring Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen. Quine-Axelrod’s “Paris When It Sizzles,” starring William PI olden and Audrey Hepburn; Luther Davis’ “Lady In A Cage,” starring Olivia de Plavilland; Joe Levine’s “Where Love bias Gone,” starring Susan Hayward and Bette Davis; new Jerry Lewis and Elvis Presley pictures; two fine A. C. Lyles westerns, “Law of the Lawless” and “Stagecoach to Hell”; “Son of Captain Blood,” starring Sean Flynn; and many others are also on the schedule. Universal Universal starts 1964 with a 26 weeks sales drive in honor of its vice-president and general sales manager, Henry H. “Hi” Martin, who next year will be marking 30 years of serv¬ ice with the company. In announcing the sales drive, the company’s first to honor Martin, Milton R. Rackmil, presi¬ dent of Universal noted that under his sales leadership the company and its exhibitor customers have enjoyed their greatest triumphs, including the series of record-breaking comedies starting with “Pillow Talk” and “Operation Petti¬ coat,” followed by “Lover Come Back” and “That Touch of Mink,” and most recently “The Thrill of It All.” Rackmil pointed out that during the “Hi Martin Sales Drive,” Universal has scheduled for release a group of pic¬ tures which offers us the greatest grossing potential in the history of Universal, and he urged all the company’s exhibi¬ tor customers and friends throughout the industry to join enthusiastically in the drive and help celebrate with Univer¬ sal this deserved salute to one of the industry’s youngest pioneers. Leading-off in 1964 is the release of “Charade,” the Stan¬ ley Donen production in Technicolor, bringing Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn to the screen together for the first time. Already established as the Christmas attraction at Radio City Music Hall in New York, where it is setting records, and in more than 200 key situations for the Christmas-New Year’s holidays, the picture could be one of the biggest grossers in the history of Universal. Martin recently announced that Universal will place in domestic release, 14 new pictures and two re-releases during the first six months of 1964, presenting as a group the greatest box office potential in the history of the company and featur¬ ing the biggest boxoffice names in the industry. The pictures are the company’s own releases, produced either by the com¬ pany or in association with independent producers, as well as pictures acquired for domestic distribution. Following “Charade” will be “Young and Willing,” an unusual topical drama with a college background produced by Betty E. Box and directed by Ralph Thomas. Next will be “Dark Purpose,” the Brazzi-Barclay-Hayuten Production in Technicolor, starring Shirley Jones, Rossano Brazzi, George Sanders, Micheline Presle, and Georgia Moll, which was pro¬ duced by Steve Barclay and directed by George Marshall in Italy. Then there will be “It’s All Happening,” a musical comedy in Eastman Color produced in England and starring teenage favorite Tommy Steele and a group of Britain’s famous musical combos. March releases will be highlighted by “Man’s Favorite Gregory Peck, Tony Curtis, Angie Dickenson and Bobby Darin, starring in “Captain Newman, M.D.” Sport?” the new Howard Hawks-Gibraltar-Universal co-production in Technicolor, starring Rock Hudson, Paula Prentiss, Maria Perschy, and Charlene Holt. Now in its world premiere, Academy Award qualifying en¬ gagement at the Paramount, Los Angeles, and booked to open at Radio City Music Hall in New York in February, “Captain Newman M.D.,” the comedy drama in Eastman Color, star¬ ring Gregory Peck, Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson, Bobby Darin, Eddie Albert, James Gregory, and Bethel Leslie, is Universal’s Easter attraction. Also available in March and April will be “Hide and Seek,” produced by Hal E. Chester and directed by Cy Endfield, and starring Curt Jurgens, Janet Munro, Ian Carmichael, and Hugh Griffith, an exciting suspense drama. Next announced by Martin was “He Rides Tall” the Gor¬ don Kay and Associates production starring Tony Young, Dan Duryea, Jo Morrow, and Madlyn Rhue; “The Brass Bottle,” in color based on the famous novel by F. Anstey and starring Tony Randall, Burl Ives, and Barbara Eden; and “Night¬ mare,” Hammer Film Production produced by Jimmy Sangster and directed by Freddie Francis, and starring David Knight, Marvin Redrnon, Jennie Linden, and Brenda Bruce. Two of Universal’s all-time record breaking comedies, “Operation Petticoat” and “Pillow Talk,” are being put to¬ gether as a re-release package which will provide the marquee names of Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson, and Doris Day. Next listed by Martin was “The Chalk Garden,” Ross Hunter Production in Technicolor based on the successful stage play by Enid Bagnold, and starring Deborah Kerr, Hayley Mills, John Mills and Dame Edith Evans; “The Raiders,” an outdoor adventure drama; “Wild and Wonder¬ ful,” the Harold Hecht Production in Eastman Color starring Tony Curtis and Christine Kaufmann; and finally “Bedtime Story,” previously titled “King of the Mountain,” new Stanley Shapiro comedy in Eastman Color starring Marlon Brando, David Niven, and Shirley Jones. Pre-selling has long been the hallmark of Universal’s re¬ leases, and the 1964 product is certainly receiving that from David A. Lipton, vice-president in charge of advertising and publicity. According to Lipton, the merchandising of motion pictures today requires custom-handling of each individual picture. He has pointed out that advertising cannot do the job alone and that you cannot buy your audience with suc¬ cess. “In todays’ market where our motion pictures compete for 48 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR December 25, 1963