The Exhibitor (1965)

PRODUCT PREVIEW • its world premiere in the fall at Loew’s State, which paid the largest cash advance ever given for a single attraction at a single theatre — $1,350,000. Directed by John Huston in wide screen and color, it was written by Christopher Fry, who based his screenplay on the Book of Genesis. The cast includes Peter O’Toole, George C. Scott, Ava Gard¬ ner, Michael Parks, Lilly Bergryd, Richard Harris, Stephen Boyd and Huston who portrays Noah. Our second roadshow release for the year will be Rob¬ ert Wise’s production of “The Sand Pebbles,” based on the best-selling novel by Richard McKenna. The wide screen and color attraction is currently filming in Taiwan with Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna and newcomer Candice Bergen starred. Wise, probably the most versatile director around today (“West Side Story,” “I Want to Live”), follows his triumphant “The Sound of Music” with this big-scale adventure which is expected to have its first engagements at Christmas of 1966. We are as proud and excited of our upcoming program for the year as for our distribution program. With Rich¬ ard I). Zanuck supervising the schedule in Hollywood and Elmo Williams in Europe, the future looks as bright as the present and the immediate past. A sampling of our schedule for the year includes Doris Day in “Fifth Avenue Folly”; Paul Newman, Frederic March and Diane Cilento in “Hombre”; Shirley McLaine in “Bloomer Girl”; Rex Harrison in “Doctor Dolittle”; James Coburn in “F as in Flint”; Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney in “Two for the Road”; Julie Andrews in “The Gertrude Lawrence Story” (tentative title) ; Robert Aldrich’s “Monte Walsh”; Martin Rackin’s “The Man in Black”; David Weisbart’s “Trap for a Man”; and Jerry Lewis in “Way, Way Out.” It is very difficult to keep one’s modesty when past, pres¬ ent and future product lineups have all the earmarks of success. Therefore, I merely want to add that it would be our good fortune, and hopefully yours, if you will continue to join us in this continuing success. Columbia | “Based on what shapes up as our most impressive pro¬ gram of releases in recent years, Columbia Pictures con¬ fidently looks forward to a banner 1966,” said Rube Jackter, Columbia’s vice-president and general sales manager. “We have set our sights on the goal of being in a posi¬ tion to offer every theatre owner, whatever his individual requirements, a rich backlog of product that will generate boxoffice excitement. “Our program for 1966 runs the complete range of pop¬ ular taste. We wrill offer sophisticated comedies, outdoor action dramas, family entertainment, films of high adven¬ ture, spy thrillers and contemporary spoofs. “These motion pictures have been made by outstanding moviemakers who have selected their star casts with care and have chosen stories with fresh themes. And they have enlisted top directors to give these productions the know¬ how that restdts in outstanding boxoffice.” Jackter went on to detail the following program of Col¬ umbia’s 1966 releases: Sam Spiegel, one of the industry’s most successful pro¬ ducers, continues his long association with Columbia by contributing “The Chase,” his first production since “Law¬ rence of Arabia.” Marlon Brando stars in an exciting story, from Horton Foote’s Broadway play ,of how a manhunt triggers a crisis in a small Texas community. Young tal¬ ented Arthur Penn directed this important production in Panavision and color. Anthony Mann, whose grand-scale adventure spectacu¬ lars such as “El Cid” have spelled sure-fire boxoffice, has a magnificent high adventure drama in “The Heroes of Telemark,” in color. S. Benjamin Fisz produced, while Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Michael Redgrave and Ulla Jacobsson are starred in the thrilling story of how Norwe¬ gian patriots sabotaged the Nazis’ attempt to develop an atomic bomb. Producer James Woolf (“King Rat” and “The L-Shaped Room”) has converted John Braine’s powerful best-seller, “Life At The Top,” into a hard-hitting contemporary drama. It follows the further adventures of the ruthlessly ambitious young man who clawed his way to the top in “Room At The Top.” Laurance Harvey, Jean Simmons, Honor Blackman and Michael Craig are starred. Irving Allen’s “The Silencers,” a fast-moving thriller in color, has all the ingredients to be a top boxoffice hit. Dean Martin is Matt Helm, America’s super-espionage agent, and his playmates include Stella Stevens, Daliah Lavi and Cyd Charisse, as well as the fabled “Slaygirls.” There’s “The Trouble With Angels,” teaming Rosalind Russell and Hayley Mills. It’s a rollicking comedy about two fun-loving teen-agers who just happen attend a con¬ vent school and give the Mother Superior a rough time with their high-spirited hi jinks. Ida Lupino directed and Wil¬ liam Frye produced in color. Another film for the whole family is “Born Free,” the story of Elsa the lion cub reared in Kenya, Africa, by game warden George Adamson and his wife, Joy: This is based on her much-beloved book that became an international best-seller. Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers are starred in the color film. Carl Foreman was executive producer in association with producers Sam Jaffe and Paul Radin. Jerry Lewis is producing, directing and starring in “Three On a Couch,” a sophisticated, topical comedy in color. Janet Leigh stars opposite Lewis. “Rings Around the World” is an entertaining film of some of the world’s greatest circus acts. Gil Gates produced and Don Ameche is the commentator-star in the wide¬ screen film in color. “Not For Honor and Glory,” starring Anthony Quinn, Alain Delon, George Segal, Michaele Morgan, Maurice Ronet and Claudia Cardinale, is based on the world-wide best-selling novel of the French paratroopers in action, “The Centurions.” Mark Robson directed and produced the color, Panavision film on location in Spain. TV favorite Soupy Sales makes his big screen debut in the Tors production of “Birds Do It,” a wild, science-fiction comedy in color. Stanley Colbert produced. Hanna-Barbera is coming up with another family film by presenting their funfilled, popular TV personalities “The Flintstones,” in a feature-length motion picture. “Alvarez Kelly” is a large-scale adventure drama in color and Panavision told against the vast backdrop of the War Between the States. William Holden and Richard Widmark are the principal stars of this exciting drama of a daring raid behind the Union Army’s lines. Sol C. Siegel produced and Edward Dmytryk directed on location in Louisiana. In a different vein, Sol Siegel’s “Walk, Don’t Run” is a ( Continued on Page 52) 50 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR December 29, 1965