The Exhibitor (1966)

mimiiimimiiiiimmmmir iiiiiMiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiii^ LONDON Observations Redstone Plans Conn. Cinema One-Two-Three by Jock MacGregor ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S 50TH FILM, “TORN CURTAIN,” HAS BEEN CELEbrated in style — one might even say with reverence. He arrived well in advance of the Odeon premiere, and the first wave of press, radio, and tv interviews were conducted before the honor lunch. This was a remarkable occasion. It was a touch of genius that many of his early associates like Clive Brook, looking spry, should have been invited to join the press, and that Sir Michael Balson should have taken the chair. Mickey recalled l>ow he first employed Hitch as title and script writer and art director when “films were films and not packages and actors were actors and not limited liability companies.” Hitch in his reply was at his most fruity. He felt the lunch was particularly meaningful as he was among “fellow dealers in celluloid.” After laboring in “this bizarre trade” for 40 years and surviving silent films, talkies, narrow screen, wide screen, 3D, drive-in movies, in-flight movies, tv, and so on, he claimed that he had reached the climax of his career — after lunch speaker. Skipping from the highlights of his life, his figure, brief appearances in his pictures, and misconceptions about him, he said: “There is a dreadful story that I hate actors. Imagine anyone hating Jimmy Stewart ... or Jack the last of the Warner Bros? I can’t imagine how the rumor began. Of course, it may possibly be because I was once quoted as saying that actors are cattle. My actor friends know I would never call them cattle. . . . What I probably said was that actors should be treated like cattle.” After “The Birds,” he apparently prefers human artists. He pointedly quipped: “You have heard of actors who insist that their names are above the title — these demanded that they be the title.” Hitch put the critics in the right mood to see “Torn Curtain,” and even if they did not regard it as vintage, all gave extensive, considered, and seat selling reviews to bolster enormous feature and gossip coverages. Hitch is about the only director who is really news here. Rank Distributor’s Charles Young stage managed the lunch superbly. Instead of the usual place cards, menus hung from wire fashioned like Hitch’s famous profile — his trade mark. I was happy to see Dave Golding, who is now publicising Universal’s British product. Oddly enough, he was my guide on the only two occasions that I have seen Hitch in action, once in Hollywood and once here. It’s a small world! And I don’t mind saying so since the maestro himself claims that inside every fat man a thin one is desperately trying to get out — and that in his case, the thin one is the real Alfred Hitchcock. SAN FRANCISCO BORN WALTER SHENSON CAME TO LONDON 11 YEARS ago to handle American publicity for Columbia’s British product, and became increasingly fascinated in production itself. The international potential of Peter Sellers struck him force¬ fully. The result — he resigned from publicity and made the highly successful “The Mouse that Roared.” Then when many thought “The Beatles” were a passing craze, he set up “Hard Day’s Night” and followed it with “Help!” Now with shiny Rolls Royce and a fine home on “the right side of the Park,” he is filling in time before starting the third Beatle subject in the New Year by making his sixth picture, “30 is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia.” Lfnlike most producers, he is using his own money — the profits from his hits — to the tune of some $600,000. He considers spending less here these days is to court disaster — to end with what can only be sold as a second feature. I visited him at the Goldhawk Studios, which were large enough for an ingenious night club setting — in common with several of the bigger recent hits it is being shot mainly on location — and was immediately struck by the youthfulness of all concerned. He told me that some technicians were new to features, had come direct from documentaries and tv commercials. One sensed a feeling of enthusiasm, confidence, and friendliness. His star is Dudley Moore, an unquestioned talent who was discovered in “Beyond the Fringe,” has played two seasons on Broadway, has made a big name in tv and jazz circles, and had a part in “The Wrong Box.” Not only does he appear as a musician who wakes one morning to realize that he is six weeks under 30 and has to yet to marry and write his great musical work (should it be the other way around?) but has composed the music which the Dudley Moore Trio will play. Walter predicts that in a year he will be “another Sellers.” Not surprising that the American majors are after this zany color musical for world distribution, and by the time this appears, a deal may have been completed. THIS WEEK’S ENCOUNTER WITH JOE LEVINE WAS AFTER MIDNIGHT ON the set for “The Spy With A Cold Nose,” which Lenny Lighthouse is producing and Daniel Petrie is directing. After my visit to “Doctor Dolittle,” I seem to have seen little but per¬ forming animals. Here Laurence Harvey was having difficulties with an English bulldog in the title role in a Moscow setting. Also on hand were at least a hundred assorted barking tykes. Lionel Jeffries, Daliah Lavi, and Norma Foster play other leading roles in this Embassy color release. BILL GELL AND MICHAEL BROMHEAD HOSTED AN OFFICE PARTY FOR the “trades” to meet Gary Dartnell before he returned to New York as president of their recently formed American affiliate, Alliance International Films, Inc., and to arrange dis¬ tribution and production deals for Sydney Box’s London Independent Productions at 40 East 49th street (Tel: 421-9430). . . . Disturbed to hear that UA’s Dave Bickler is confined to bed with spine trouble and that namesake Roy MacGregor had a nasty accident while publicising the Sean Connery-Bond “You Only Live Twice” in Japan. He has been flown to California for hospitalization. . . . Producers’ problems: 1) Richard Fleischer tells me bad weather is forcing him to shoot the “Dolittle” circus scenes in Hollywood. 2) 100 tubular 20 foot net dresses with green blobs had to be made to conceal telegraph poles in an other¬ wise ideal location for Hammer’s “The Viking Queen.” 3) The phone in the production office for Michael Winner’s all location picture for Universal, “The Jokers,” established in a quiet mews house, constantly rang with calls for “Anne.” They were not from jokers but clients of the former occupant. HARTFORD — John P. Lowe, Redstone Theatres district manager, has announced plans for immediate start of construction on an 1100seat addition to the company’s deluxe Cinema One and Two complex on Riverdale Street, West Springfield, Mass. The third theatre, to be known as Cinema Three, will be built to the north of Cinema Two, and, like its sister theatres, contain the latest projection equipment and rocking chair seats. A Christmas opening is planned. Cinema One and Two, when opened in November, 1964, were first dual theatre com¬ plex in the entire Connecticut Valley. When completed, the Cinema One-Two-Three com¬ plex will be first triple-theatre operation in this territory. At the same time, Lowe named John Charron, formerly manager of the Ste. Foye Twin Cinema, Quebec City, Que., as manager of the Showcase Cinemas One and Two, Law¬ rence, Mass., succeeding Robert Butler, reas¬ signed after three months to become house manager of the Cinema One-Two complex in Louisville. Theatre Proposal Tabled HARTFORD — The Town Planning and Zoning Commission of Wallingford, midway between Hartford and New Haven on the Wilbur Cross Parkway, has tabled a proposal by Ben Segal, Oakdale Musical Theatre man¬ aging director, for construction of a $2 mil¬ lion cultural center, including a motion pic¬ ture theatre. Segal, partnered with Robert L. Burnham, Suburban Development Corporation, Hart¬ ford, planned to finance the cultural center by making it part of a complex including apart¬ ment houses, a motel, and shopping facilities. Wallingford has one hard-top motion pic¬ ture theatre, the Wilkinson, operated by George H. Wilkinson, Jr., president of the UMPTO (United Motion Picture Theatre Owners) of Connecticut. Pirate “Black Maxers’’ Earn “Blue Max” Medals NEW YORK — A quorum of Pittsburgh Pirate players, the National League lead¬ ers, were presented with Blue Maxes at Toots Shor Restaurant. This unique happenstance resulted from the ball players’ viewing 20th CenturyFox’s “The Blue Max” in Chicago several weeks ago. The film’s title refers to the medal presented during World War I to ace pilots, the elite of the German Air Force. The Pirates, enjoying a season of zany antics, decided to form their own elite corps and set out to find Blue Max medals for proper identification. Chicago only had black crosses, so they renamed themselves “The Black Maxers.” But word got back to New York of this deficiency, and exact replicas of the blue and gold medal were then shipped to Manhattan from Germany. The players receiving the medals were Willie Stargell, Elroy Face, Pete Mikkelsen, Johnny Pesky, Steve Blass, Don Cardwell, Jim Pagliaroni, Donn Clendenon, as well as Bob Prince, Pittsburgh Pirate broadcaster. 14 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR August 24, 1966