Red Line 7000 (Paramount Pictures) (1965)

“Fireball 500,’’ which opens ....... Theatre. Avalon, right, Annette Funicello and Fabian discuss accident while spectators gather around in scene from American International’s stock car racing thriller, SOS Cat ot as: atthe: 2 2. Ree ees 2 COL. SCENE MAT 2-E CHILL WILLS, ANNETTE FUNICELLO SPEAK OUT AS OLD, NEW TYPES OF HOLLYWOOD MOTION PICTURE STARS “Times have changed, time has passed, new faces have come and gone in a steady parade over the years in Hollywood. Two things, however, remain constant ... young actors and actresses are esen tially the same as ever with regard to talent, eagerness and attractiveness, while film audiences still laugh at the same old gags and situations.’ So says one of filmdom’s most respected veteran supporting stars and one of the few character-comedy personalities who have earned and worn well the accolade of “great”—Chill Wills. He has earned no less than _ five Academy Award nominations for as many different roles over the years, in “Giant”, “The Alamo”, “Tulsa”, “The Cardinal”, and “The Yearling” . a unique achievement in Hollywood. The veteran Wills appears for the first time in a youth-oriented American International film, “Fireball 500” co-starring with “new generation” topliners Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello and Fabian. Annette, a young veteran who grew into her current stardom from a thirteen-year-old star of Disney’s ‘““Mickey Mouse” TV clan, wholeheartedly supports Chill in his estimate of her fellow young actors and actresses, Chill makes it clear that his view of his younger co-workers also holds for all the youngsters he meets, all of whom laugh at the same gags and appreciate humor in the same way as the fans of his early years in films and the Texas carnivals of his youth. He is a spry and serious-minded man, proud of the fact that he has been so long in show business, as his carnival and medicine show days antedate by many years his movie bow in the memorable “Boom Town” with Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. “During the filming of ‘Fireball 500’, my delightfully pretty costar Annette Funicello would always sustain my ‘constancy of youth’ opinion by her reaction to my gags both on and off the screen. It was just like drinking at the fountain of youth,” Wills says wistfully. Miss Funicello added her views. “It is the uniquely talented and thoughtful veterans like Mr. Wills who have been generous and cooperative enough to pass down their great heritage of humor, experience and just plain ‘showmanship’ to enable today’s youngsters to maintain such high standards. “I owe a lot to being able to work with people like Mr. Wills for a great deal of my knowledge of acting. It is only those of us young people in Hollywood who profit and learn by associations with such veteran actors and actresses who can stick it out and make a success in this business. “By this, I mean the lessons of hard work, serious attention to your job, gentlemanly and ladylike conduct and recognizing the little ‘gimmicks’ which make for success in films. “As for myself, I feel I have learned a lot and still have a lot more to learn. I also know that my private life is of equal importance to my professional life. That is why I married last year and why raising my baby daughter and a family will supersede my career in importance. “In this way I will be a better person, a better mother, a better wife and, when I return to my film work periodically, a better performer.” “FIREBALL 500” IS YOUNG ADULT ACTION DRAMA FEATURING SPILLS, THRILLS OF STOCK CAR RACING All of the thrills, spills and excitement of stock car racing and its daredevil, death-defying young drivers make American International’s “Fireball 500” the action picture of the year for young adult movie audiences and the forty million spectators who last year made stock car competition America’s number one outdoor spectator sport. Youth movie favorites Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello are re-teamed in starring roles in the color and Panavision thriller, but in totally different, more mature adult roles. Also starred in “Fireball 500”, opening at the ————————— Theatre, are Fabian, Chill Wills, Harvey Lembeck and Julie Parrish. Avalon and Fabian portray two daredevil drivers who compete on the track and for each other’s women, with no holds barred. The exciting story is set in a Southern town which is the site of national championship stock car races with principal scenes at the track, a colorful country fair and the rimitive backwoods of the area. Added to the suspense of the drivers’ rivalry is a rich and beautiful widow. who wants the attentions of one of the men, night-time bootlegging and cat and mouse games with Federal agents and flirting with death in “FKigure Eight Chicken” auto races. Racing authenticity is provided by scenes of championship races at the nation’s top tracks. The Misses Funicello and Par rish play Fabian’s girl friend, sought by Avalon, and the wealthy widow respectively. Wills is Miss Funcello’s uncle and fair impressario, while Lembeck portrays the villainous racing promoter in a departure from his usual comedy roles. Lighter moments are provided with singing and dancing at the. fair and a country dance. These are highlighted by two Avalon songs, one by Annette, an AvalonParrish duet, one joined by Frankie, Annette and Fabian, and a country-rock musical number. In addition to Miss Funicello and Miss Parrish, pulchritude is provided by American International’s famed “beach beauties” —Salli Sachse, Mary Hughes, Patti Chandler and Linda Bent—who are augmented by five Playboy Magazine Playmates — Joe Collins, Sue Hamilton, Hedy Scott, Maria McBane and Karla Conway. The production team behind ‘“Wireball 500” is the same responsible for AI’s successful musical comedies of the past years, headed by producers James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff. The director is William Asher, who also coauthored the screenplay with Leo Townsend. EX-MOUSEKETEER ANNETTE DUAL STARS AS ACTRESS AND MOTHER Thanks to the magic of television, and its re-run policies in particular, there’s hardly anyone in America who doesn’t remember that cute little singing star of the Mickey Mouse Club called Annette, Also, as everyone knows, Annette Funicello is no longer a Mouseketer but a fully-grown young married woman who has attained equally grown-up stardom in her own right as an actress-singer in a succession of starring roles opposite Frankie Avalon in Americsan International’s youth musical comedies. Now, in her first film since the birth of her first child, baby daughter Gina, Annette displays new maturity as an actress in Al’s first “young adults” film, “Fireball 500.” The stock car racing thriller, opening —-—————— at the ———————— Theatre, also also stars Avalon, Fabian, Chill Wills, Harvey Lembeck and Julie Parrish. Additionally noteworthy for Annette in the film is that she is Fabian’s girl friend, rather than Frankie, although Avalon does make an unsuccessful play for her. Most important is that her role is that of a mature young woman, including her main song and dance number “Step Right Ur. Annette admits that her home and marriage come first in her life, but that she wants to make every effort to continue her career —so long as it does not interfere with her private life. She is confident that she can be an even better actress by being a good mother and wife. LOVING PAIR’ — Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon get together in scene from American International’s ‘“‘Fireball 500,” ODGMIEE -....<.....25 eee at the 1 COL. SCENE MAT 1-B FRANKIE AVALON FOLLOWS IN FOOTSTEPS OF SINATRA, DINO TO COMBINE SINGING, ACTING Still very young by any Hollywood standard and already profitably combining dual careers as a singer and actor, Frankie Avalon is well on his way to emulating the success stories of two of the enter tainment world’s most respected thespic-vocal stars — Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. He currently is showing off his talents as singer and serious actor in his newest starring film for American International, “Fireball 500”, In the stock car race thriller, he sings the title song; the hit-destined “My Way” and combines with co-stars Annette Funicello and Julie Parrish in two tuneful ballads. He also enacts his most difficult filmed dramatic role as death-defying stock driver Dave Owens who tries to steal fellow driver, and co-star Fabian’s girl friend between races. Between films, he travels widely to fill nightclub engagements at the nation’s top night spots as top-billed singing star and makes singing appearances on leading variety television shows. Avalon also finds time, when not singing or acting, to have a happy home life as husband and father of three young children—two boys and a girl. Frankie also has several hit movies behind him in which he has been a bright young comedy star, with Bob Hope in “I’ll Take Sweden” and in his American International comedy hits, “Dr. Goldfoot and the Brkini Machine”, “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini” and other successful films. However, Frankie admits to taking dead aim on serious dra COMIC LEMBECK IN SHIFT TO DRAMATIC ROLE IN THRILLER It’s a brand new Harvey Lembeck who stars as the villainous Charlie Bigg in American International’s “Fireball 500” and movie fans may not recognize the comedy star in his newly unveiled dramatic cast. Yet it’s the same veteran actor who made filmgoers laugh with his hilarious Eric Von Zipper in Al’s “young-at-heart” musical comedies, who had television audiences roar at his antics as Sergeant Bilko’s sidekick in Phil Silver’s successful video series and in countless other films, stage and TV comedy roles. All of which proves that you can’t keep a good actor confined to one type of role. The versatile and veteran character actor merely reflects his long acting experience on the New York stage with his believable straight dramatic portrayal in the stock car racing thriller. Also starring in the American International color and Panavision drama for young adults are Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Fabian, Chill Wills and Julie Parrish. matic acting for long-range ad-. vancement of his career. He wants to do more serious dramas like “Fireball 500” and finds time to study acting along with his continuing music studies. Frankie’s youth — actual and appearance-wise — belies the fact that he has been an entertainer for two decades. It was way back in 1945 that he won first prize at an amateur show as a blackhaired five-year-old and went on to become a national teen recording singing idol. He made the move toward broadening his entertainment base early in his career by branching into both film and television acting and night clubs. Most important, while developing as an actor, he has not shied away from keeping in touch with his fans, the young people who make up the movie and TV audiences of America. Avalon, despite his busy schedule of acting, singing and his devotion to home life, makes sure ‘that he gets away each year for a few weeks of personal appearances, usually to promote one of his American International mov ies. Such is the stuff of which stars are made, the same ingredients that have made his older protypes Sinatra and Martin established show business greats. FABIAN GIVES OLD FRIEND AN ASSIST FOR BABY BIRTH That old adage “a friend in need ... etc.” was just that for Fabian and friend and co-star Frankie Avalon during the final days of production on American International’s “Fireball 500”. Frankie was due to finish his role early and fly immediately to Rome, Italy, where he was to start work opposite Vincent Price in Al’s “Dr. Goldfoot and the Love Bombs’. However, the young singer actor was despondent at the thought of leaving his wife on the eve of the birth of their third child, as he had been by her side when their first two children arrived. Fabian “came to the rescue” at this crucial moment by volunteering to sub for Frankie in the overseas film inasmuch as he had no prior work commitments — subject to the approval of producers and American International top executives James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff. The deal for the substitution was worked out with proper agents and contracts within 24 hours and Fabian flew to Rome while Frankie stayed home to see his new baby dalghter arrive. MORNING AFTER — Romantic breakfast interlude is enjoyed by Frankie Avalon and Julie Parrish in scené from American International’s “Fireball 500.” Stock car racing thriller, opening .............-- Meer as atti soe eee oe Theatre, also stars Annette Funicello, Fabian, Chill Wills and Harvey Lembeck. 2 COL. SCENE MAT 2-F EX-TEEN IDOL FABIAN CONTINUES TO FORSAKE SINGING CAREER FOR STARDOM AS A SERIOUS ACTOR Most young Americans are just embarking on their first and only career at the age of 23, but Fabian is well along the road to success in a second career as a motion picture and television acting star at that point. Almost five years ago, eighteenyear-old Fabian made a fateful, decision which shook the entertainment world. At that time, he was riding high as the nation’s top young singing star with his records high on the best-selling lists. His decision was to forsake singing for an acting career. He had been given a chance to act on the basis of his success as a vocalist and Fabian found that he loved dramatic work so much that he decided to try to make that his life work. Today, he is one of Hollywood’s most highly regarded thespians with a backlog of important roles up to and including his latest starring role in American International’s ‘Fireball 500,” opening (en at the——_——— theatre. Fabian portrays a stock car racing driver in the dramatic thriller which also stars Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello and Chill Wills. He also soon will be been starring with Vincent Price in Al’s “Dr. Goldfoot and the Love Bombs.” He was born in Philadelphia on February 6th, the first of three sons for Josephine and Domenic Forte. He attended Quaker City primary school and soon after entering high school, at the ripe young age of 14, recording executive Bob Marcucci heard him sing and within the year he became a nationwide sensation. At 15, Fabian won the Silver Record Award for the most promising male vocalist of 1958 and also the American Bandstand Popularity Poll conducted by Dick Clark. The next year he was selected outstanding New Male Singer by Photoplay Magazine and won the Cash Box Award as top male vocalist in poll of juke box operators. The awards piled up in the next years, while he crossed and recrossed the country on a succession of personal appearance tours, television guest shots and his first motion picture star role in “Hound Dog Man’. Another highlight of this period, presented in 1960 to 17-year-old Fabian” on a nationwide TV show, was the Gold Record Album for his “The Fabulous Fabian” and a Gold Record for his “Tiger” single platter. He subsequently appeared in additional film roles, with Bing Crosby in “High Time”, with John Wayne in “North to Alaska” and with James Stewart in “Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation” and “Dear Brigitte’, This taste of acting brought on his momentous decision in his eighteenth year and the beginning of a distinguished thespic career. Among Fabian’s starring dramatic roles have been his acclaimed portrayal of a homicidal maniac in “A Lion Walks Among Us”, a segment of “Bus Stop”; and many more television appearances. He also stars in “Ten Little Indians” and had a cameo role in “The Longest Day”. This year 1966 marks another milestone in the life of Fabian. It is the year in which he became engaged for the first time, to Katie Regan, and it will be the year of his marriage on September 25.