The Exhibitor (1966)

PRODUCT PREVIEW • John Wayne and Robert Mitchum — now that certainly spells boxoffice — head the cast of Howard Hawks’ “El Do¬ rado.” We expect this new western to be even bigger than “The Sons of Katie Elder” and “Nevada Smith.” The first film under our deal with William Castle will be out early this year and is titled “The Busy Body.” Bill Castle has produced more than his share of money-makers, and “The Busy Body” stands to be right up there with the best. It stars the “new” Sid Caesar and has a cast headed by Anne Baxter and Robert Ryan. Castle’s second feature for us, “The Spirit Is Willing,” is a wild yarn that will be released this summer, also starring Caesar and Vera Miles. Those of you who read the motion picture news know that Paramount has also completed a new deal with Ivan Tors, and his first two films for us will also be released in 1967. First will be “Cowboy in Africa,” an unusual adventure actually shot on the Dark Continent with popular Hugh O’Brian and Britain’s distinguished John Mills. Tors will also deliver “Gentle Ben,” a heart-warming tale with Dennis Weaver and Vera Miles, which Tors filmed at his Miami Studios. Right after the first of the year, we will be releasing “Warn¬ ing Shot,” an exciting suspense melodrama starring David Jansen, who has created a big following from his tremend¬ ously successful “The Fugitive” television series. Jansen, some¬ times called tv’s outstanding star, is supported in this Bob Banner Production by a stand-out cast including Joan Collins, Keenan Wynn, Ed Begley, Sam Wanamaker, Lillian Gish, Stefanie Powers, Eleanor Parker, George Grizzard, George Sanders, Steve Allen, and Walter Pidgeon. The hilarious off-Broadway and Broadway hit, “Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feeling So Sad,” will also be released in early 1967, starring Rosalind Russell, Robert Morse, Barbara Harris, Jonathan Winters, and Hugh Griffith. These films I’ve just covered are only the beginning of our New Year line-up. I think you’ll agree there is a variety and grossing potential here that is far above average, and I can promise you more, bigger, and better products for the rest of 1967. Universal The release of 13 new Universal film productions and two re-releases during the first six months of 1967 has been set by Henry H. “Hi” Martin, vice-president and general sales manager of Universal Pictures. In addition, plans are being set to release during this period, one of the company’s most important pictures of the year, “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” the Ross Hunter Technicolor comedy with music starring Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Channing, James Fox, John Gavin and Beatrice Lillie. The period will also see the beginning of the re-release of “Spartacus,” the company’s all-time top grossing film pro¬ duction throughout the world. Included in the 13 new film productions being released dur¬ ing the first six months is “The War Wagon,” the giant Techicolor western, starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Howard Keel, Robert Walker and Keenan Wynn, with Bruce Cabot, Valora Noland, Gene Evans and Joanna Barnes, the Batjac Production produced by Marvin Schwartz and directed by Burt Kennedy, scheduled for June release. Being launched with Christmas dates from coast to coast is the January release, “Gambit,” the romantic suspense comedy in Technicolor starring Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, Herbert Lorn, Roger C. Carmel and Arnold Moss, produced by Leo L. Fuchs and directed by Ronald Neame. Also scheduled for more extensive national release in Janu¬ ary following a series of new Christmas openings will be “Fahrenheit 451,” Francois Truffaut’s widely hailed film pro¬ duction in Technicolor starring Julie Christie and Oskar Werner, which is now playing to record business in its Ameri¬ can premiere engagement in New York, London, and in Paris where it had its world premiere. “Tobruk,” the exciting adventure film of World War II dealing with the siege of the North African fortress and the stopping of General Rommel, is scheduled for February re¬ lease. In Technicolor, it stars Rock Hudson, George Peppard, Guy Stockwell and Nigel Green with Robert Wolders and Leo Gordon. It is a Universal-Gibraltar-Corman Co. Production. Scheduled for March is “Deadlier Than The Male,” the adventure story deailng with international intrigue starring Richard Johnson, Elke Sommer, Sylva Koscina, Nigel Green, Suzanne Leigh and Steve Carlson. In Technicolor, it is a Sydney Box-Bruce Newberry Production produced by Betty E. Box and directed by Ralph Thomas. Also for March is a science-fiction combination of “Island Of Terror,” the color production starring Peter Cushing and Edward Judd and directed by Terence Fisher, and “The Projected Man,” in Technicolor and Techniscope starring Bryant Haliday and Mary Peach. “Island of Terror,” which co-stars Carole Gray and Niall MacGinnis, was produced by Tom Blakely. “The Projected Man” was produced by John Croydon and Maurice Foster. Charles Chaplin’s widely heralded “A Countess From Hong Kong,” the Technicolor production starring Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren and co-starring Sydney Chaplin and Tippi Hedren with Patrick Cargill and Margaret Rutherford, is scheduled for Easter release. Written and directed by Chaplin, it was produced by Jerome Epstein. April will also see the re-release of two of Universal’s top grossing films of all time — -“That Touch Of Mink,” the Stan¬ ley Shapiro comedy in Technicolor starring Cary Grant, Doris Day and Gig Young, produced by Robert Arthur and directed by Delbert Mann, and “To Kill A Mockingbird,” the award¬ winning film production starring Gregory Peck, Mary Badham and Philip Alford, based on the Harper Lea Pulitzer Prize novel, produced by Alan Pakula and directed by Robert Mulligan. The three releases for May are “The Reluctant Astronaut,” the Technicolor comedy starring Don Knotts, Leslie Nielsen, Joan Freeman, Jeanette Nolan and Arthur O’Connell; “Gunfight in Abilene,” the western in Technicolor starring Bobby Darin, Emily Banks, Leslie Nielsen, Don Galloway and Don¬ nelly Rhodes; and “The Young Warriors,” a story of World War II starring James Drury, Steve Carlson, Robert Pine and Jonathan Daly, in Technicolor, produced by Gordon Kay and directed by John Peyser. June releases include, beside “The War Wagon,” “The Perils Of Pauline,” Technicolor comedy starring Pat Boone, the “Dodge Rebellion Girl” Pamela Austin, and Terry Thomas, and “Mysterious Valley,” in Technicolor, starring Richard Egan, Peter Graves, Harry Guardino, Joby Baker, Lois Nettleton, Julie Adams and Fernando Lamas. An adven¬ ture story, it was produced by Harry Tatelman and directed by Joseph Leytes. Martin noted that the company has four additional pictures completed but unscheduled for release, and five additional pictures in final cutting and editing and production stages, with an additional one just going into production, or 10 other pictures which are already available for possible release during the second half of 1967. ( Continued on page 44) 42 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR December 28, 1966