The Exhibitor (1964)

November 18, 1964 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 5231 tribal leader tries to buy it from Dean and is turned down, threats are made. There is terror and murder in the days that follow. Dean receives a call from a man purporting to be her brother instructing her to bring him a suitcase from a bank deposit box. She is trailed by Mahoney, who temporarily loses her. She is attacked by her brother’s partner, and the box is stolen. Mahoney catches up with him, kills him in the gun duel that follows, recovers the money, and breaks open the smuggling racket. This clears the brother. X-Ray: There’s blood, violence, and a minor story of crooks, smuggling, and wild tribes in the Philippines to be found in this entry. It could serve as filler on the program where a short feature is indicated and where the more squeamish viewers aren’t going to mind the sight of blood being shed. Eddie Romero wrote the screenplay. The acting, direction, and production are average. Ad Lines: “Contraband Crime Ring Turns Illicit Tribal Rites Into Deadly Profit”; “A Killer Cuts A Gash Of Fear Across The Countryside.” UNITED ARTISTS Goldfinger Melodrama 108M. United Artists ( Sal tzman Broccoli ) (Filmed in Britain) (Technicolor) Estimate: Another boxoffice bonanza with agent 007. Cast: Sean Connery, Gert Frobe, Honor Blackman, Shirley Eaton, Tania Mallet, Harold Sakata, Bernard Lee, Martin Benson, Cec Linder, Austin Willis, Lois Maxwell, Bill Nagy. Produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli; directed by Guy Hamilton. Story: Wealthy Gert Frobe is interested in acquiring more and more gold, and he doesn’t care who has to be disposed of in order for him to do so. The British Secret Service is called into the case because England’s gold reserves are being depleted and Frobe is suspected. Agent 007, Sean Connery, is as¬ signed to investigate. He picks Frobe up at a Florida hotel, where he goes in for cheating at cards with the aid of secretary Shirley Eaton and a hearing aid receiving set. Con¬ nery interferes, and Eaton is more than happy to be romanced by him. This costs her her life when Frobe finds out. He has her painted with a heavy gold paint which results in her death. Their next encounter is on a golf course where Connery uses some trickery to beat. Frobe out of some money. On his trail in Switzerland, Connery learns how Frobe smuggles his gold in and out of countries through a giant smelting plant which also indulges in other activities. He is captured, and they learn his identity but not how much he knows. This saves his life, with Frobe’s desire to boast another life prolonging factor. He learns that Frobe plans to rob Fort Knox and persuades Frobe’s associate Honor Blackman that she should help by notifying the proper authorities. They arrive in time to help Connery avert a catastrophe involving a nuclear bomb. Frobe gets away and confronts Connery later as he and Blackman are flying in a plane to meet the president. Frobe is killed and the plane crashes. Connery rescues Blackman, and they don’t care if they’re ever rescued. X-Ray: This is the third Ian Fleming thriller to hit the screen, and it does so with much the same impact as its predecessors. There’s gold in the title, in the film, and there’ll be plenty of gold coming in at the boxoffice when this opens. It moves at a breathtaking pace, boasts a host of gadgets, and pushes romance and adventure. The performances are fine, and direction and pro¬ duction are very good. A preview audience had a ball as scene chased scene across the large screen in wondrous color. Richard Maibaum and Paul Dehn wrote the screen¬ play, based on the novel by Fleming. The song over the titles of the same name is sung by Shirley Bassey. Tips On Bidding: Higher bracket. Ad Lines: “The Roughest, Toughest of the 007 Series”; “A Thrill A Minute And A New James Bond Girl In Every Scene.” song, “Pass Me By,” is heard over the main titles. Tip on Bidding: Higher rates. Ad Lines: “It Was War To The End On This South Pacific Island. . . . Between An Un¬ shaven Loafer And The Proper Den Mother To A Gang Of Homeless Youngsters”; “Cary Grant And Leslie Caron Wage A Romantic Battle That Made World War II Seem Tame.” MISCELLANEOUS UNIVERSAL Father Goose Comedy 115M. Universal (Technicolor) Estimate: Top names bolster mild comedy. Cast: Cary Grant, Leslie Caron, Trevor Howard, Stephanie Berrington, Jennifer Berrington, Verina Greenlaw, Laurelle Felsette, Nicole Felsette, Pip Sparke, Sharyl Locke. Produced by Robert Arthur; directed by Ralph Nelson; screenplay by Peter Stone and Frank Tarloff. Story: Unshaven and unkempt American Cary Grant sails his launch in the South Pacific. He has turned his back on civilization and even ignores the war whch rages around him. Australian Commander Trevor Howard desperately needs a civilian to serve as a watcher on a deserted island. He forces Grant to volunteer, escorts him to the island, and rams his launch so that he will have to stay. Grant is left with his dinghy and a one room shack. Howard hides Grant’s liquor and tells him where it is one bottle at a time every time he reports an enemy movement. Grant sails to another island 40 miles away to res¬ cue another watcher from a Japanese attack. He finds that the watcher has been killed. On the island are Leslie Caron, daughter of a French consul, and seven young girls. They all pile into Grant’s eight-foot dinghy and head back to his island. The girls take over the cabin, and Caron tries to get him to mend his ways. He refuses to change his slov¬ enly habits or to give up drinking and swear¬ ing, and they are at war. There is a surprise Japanese landing, and Grant saves one of the children, earning Caron’s respect. Caron mistakenly believes she has been bitten by a poisonous snake. Grant, thinking she is about to die, plies her with liquor and tells her that he formerly was a professor of his¬ tory who became disenchanted with civiliza¬ tion. They discover that they are in love. After they realize Caron will not die of her scratch, they are married via radio. The Japanese return and Howard sends a sub to rescue them. Grant repairs his launch and decoys an enemy patrol boat away from the sub. His launch is blown up, but the Jap¬ anese boat is destroyed. He, Caron, and the girls are saved. X-Ray: Cary Grant and Leslie Caron are the kind of boxoffice names that will excite moviegoers. This film mixes elements of comedy and wartime adventure, with a liberal dash of cute juvenile performances. It plays fairly well, but does not deliver quite the en¬ tertainment potential it promises. Grant por¬ trays a real slob through most of the film. He carries the unfamiliar portrayal off quite well, but his romantic image suffers in the process. Caron also is not a particularly like¬ able person until she gets drunk late in the film. As a result, we want to enjoy their an¬ tics but it isn’t always easy. The youngsters are cute, but they do not emerge as personali¬ ties. As a result, the comedy lags in spots. However, Grant is the kind of a performer who can rise above script deficiencies, and he brings more than a few delightful moments to the film. The names should carry the film a long way although we can’t help wishing they were given more to work with. Color is an esset, and island settings quite scenic. A Nightmare In The Sun Melodrama 81M. Zodiac (Color by Deluxe) Estimate: Suspenseful story of a manhunt for the program. Cast: Ursula Andress, John Derek, Aldo Ray, Arthur O’Connell, with guests stars Sammy Davis, Jr., Allyn Joslyn, Keenan Wynn, Chick Chandler, Richard Jaeckel, Robert Duvall. Produced by Marc Lawrence and John Derek; directed by Marc Lawrence. Story: Ursula Andress, wife of wealthy rancher Arthur O’Connell, is shacked up with sheriff Aldo Ray while her husband scours the countryside for her. O’Connell is drunk before he tracks her down, and she flees when he confronts her with evidence of her deceit. On the highway, she picks up hitch¬ hiker John Derek and offers to drive him in¬ to Los Angeles. They stop at O’Connell’s ranch to get clothing and freshen up, and Andress gets him into the pool. Derek makes to leave, but Andress begs to be taken along. O’Connell comes back to the ranch just in time to spot Derek leaving. In a fit of jealousy, he shoots down his wife. Ray is called out to the ranch by a couple of merchants who discover the killing. He covers for O’Connell and tries to frame Derek as the drifter who came across lovely Ursula, etc. Derek is found on the road by Ray, but escapes from the sheriff and is made the object of a wide¬ spread manhunt. By the time Derek is cap¬ tured, O’Connell breaks down and threatens to confess. Ray, seeking to divert the penitent murderer, brings two prostitutes to the ranch. O’Connell, enraged by this affront to his conscience, hits the sheriff over the head with a riflle butt and kills him too. Derek, who has had a taste of justice gone away, is set free, the worse for his experience. X-Ray: As drama, the film is a sham that puts law, mores, and morality into an ugly light with little or no artistic justification. Color, some fair acting, and a well sustained pace save the effort as entertainment for the less discriminating adult. Andress, as the restless young wife, is alluring and, as usual, an eyeful. Derek’s performance of the hunted drifter is also competent. Ray, as the greedy, unscroupled sheriff is adequately evil, and fair support is extended the principals. The film, however, has no real purpose, as depth in character is almost totally lacking. Ad Lines: “She Turned Men’s Lives Into A Nightmare Of Murder”; “Old Enough To Know — Too Beautiful To Care.” The T-A-M-l Show Musical Novelty 113 %M. Electronovision Estimate: Good musical novelty for teens. Cast: The Beech Boys, The Barbarians, Chuck Berry, James Brown and The Flames, Marvin Gaye, Gerry and The Pacemakers, Lesley Gore, Jan & Dean, Billy J. Kramer and flie Dakotas, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Supremes, and The Rolling Stones. Executive producer, William Sargent, Jr.; producer, Lee Savin; director, Steve Binder. Content: All of the above appear on stage at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium playing, sing ( Continued on page 5232)