The Satan Bug (United Artists) (1965)

Publicity The Search For Stolen Virus Is ‘Satan Bug's Gripping Tale (Advance Production Story) Famed for his incisive studies of people under great stress and tension as evidenced in his masterful “The Great Escape,” “The Magnificent Seven” and “Bad Day at Black Rock,” the Mirisch Corporation’s “The Satan Bug,” starring George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis and Dana Andrews and opening ............ atthe see Theatre, was Producer-Director John Sturges’ dish of tea to the proverbial T. Adapted for the screen by James Clavell and Edward Anhalt from the novel by Ian Stuart, the United Artists release in Color by DeLuxe and Panavision, is described as a fast-moving, high adventure thriller—with overtones. And the overtones are the kind which Sturges has shown he can bring to the screen as few can. The plot deals with the development of a virus so deadly that it is capable under certain conditions of destroying the human race, and a batch of these bugs is stolen by a depraved mind who means to destroy humanity with it. But “The Satan Bug,” as directed by Sturges, is more than fast-moving adventure, it is a probing into the workings of people’s minds under this formidable threat, and the way he does this, it is said, is reminiscent of his handling of Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea,” and the classic “Gunfight at O.K. Corral.” The story was shot on location at Palm Springs and in, around and above Los Angeles, the city chosen for destruction by the depraved mind and which is being evacuated by the civil authorities. There is only one feminine role in “The Satan Bug,” and it’s played by Anne Francis, who also played the sole feminine role in Sturges’ “Bad Day at Black Rock” opposite Spencer Tracy. Anne shares stellar honors in the new offering with George Maharis, Richard Basehart and Dana Andrews. Maharis, who won fame in the TV series “Route 66,” plays his first starring role in “The Satan Bug.” Richard Basehart, who was often seen with him in that series as well as in others, is the well-known Broadway star often called “The Actor’s Actor.” “The Satan Bug” is from the pen of Ian Stuart, which happens to be the pen name for Alistair MacLean, author of ‘The Guns of Navarone.” Screen writer Cla vell is famed for his novel “King Rat.” He also did the screenplay for Sturges’ recent “The Great Escape.” His pen partner Anhalt is the Academy-Award-Winning scenarist who wrote the screen adaptation for “Becket.” The film’s cinematography is by multi-Academy-Award-Winner Robert Surtees, its music is by Jerry Goldsmith, and it is a Mirisch-Kappa picture. The Tough Cop of ‘West Side Story’ In ‘Satan Bug’ Remember that tough cop in “West Side Story’? Well, he’s been promoted. He’s a high level security offcer now in his third motion picture role which occurs in the Mirisch Corporation’s “The Satan Bug,” fast-moving adventure thriller in Color by DeLuxe and Panavision opening at the Theatre. The film co-stars George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis and Dana Andrews and was produced and directed by John Sturges. The cop’s name? Simon Oakland, well-known stage performer. who wouldn’t have been an actor at all if he hadn’t broken his wrist. A violin protege at 12, he was destined for the concert stage when the break occurred during football practice on his high school team. He chose the stage as an alternative career, and there he is, one of the most successful supporting players in the business. “The Satan Bug,” a MirischKappa picture, is a screen adaptation by James Clavell and Edward Anhalt of the well-known Ian Stuart novel of the same name. Still SB-16 Mat 2D Dana Andrews as an important federal investigator and Anne Francis as his daughter, hear of a plot to destroy Los Angeles by virus in this taut scene from Mirisch Corporation’s tense “The Satan Bug,’ DeLuxe Color-Panavision United Artists re lease opening ................ at the directed and produced. PAGE 8 eae Theatre. John Sturges Still SB-46 Mat 2C George Maharis is cast as the federal investigator who uncovers a plot to destroy Los Angeles by means of a virus known as “The Satan Bug,” in the Mirisch Corporation film of that name from the Ian Stuart novel, opening ................ at the Theatre in Color by DeLuxe and Panavision. The film also costars Richard Basehart, Anne Francis and Dana Andrews through United Artists release. ‘Satan Bug’ Sees Deadly Virus As The ‘Ultimate Weapon’ There are some pretty gruesome weapons in the world’s arsenals today. There are atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs and a lot of others which are capable, say the scientists, of making the earth as_barren of life as the moon. But horrible to contemplate as these may be, say these same scientists, there are others, still being perfected in the laboratories which are far more “efficient” and cheaper! And one of these is the release of death-dealing viruses from bombs and from which there is no escape anywhere on earth or beneath it, by any one! The preparation of such a “bug,” by crossing viruses to get the “ultimate” killer, much the same as various breeds of horses were crossed to produce the “ultimate” in the thoroughbred, is one of the absorbing aspects of the Mirisch Corporation’s “The Satan Bug,” the United Artists release in Color by DeLuxe and Panavision, openINGE es AL eEIMNGie semen e. Theatre. The fast-moving action thriller was adapted for the screen from the Ian Stuart novel of the same title under the producership and direction of John Sturges. 3-Time Oscar Winner Lenses “The Satan Bug’ You won’t see him in the Mir isch Corporation’s “The Satan Bug,” Color by DeLuxe, Panavision United Artists release openTe A abet here seen. Theatre, but the three-Academy-Award Winner and nine-time Academy nominee is there, just the same. His work, that is. He’s Robert Surtees, who was in charge of the cinematography for this filming of the noted Ian Stuart novel of the same name, under the ProducerDirectorship of John Sturges. Surtees won his Academy Awards for his lensing of “Ben Hur,” “King Solomon’s Mines” and “The Bad and the Beautiful,” while he won nominations for his work in “Quo Vadis,” “Oklahoma,” “Raintree County” and “Mutiny on the Bounty” among others. “The Satan Bug” co-stars George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis and Dana Andrews, and it was adapted for the screen by James Clavell and Edward Anhalt. The film is a Mirisch-Kappa picture presentation. The story tells how such a “bug,” capable of eradicating the human race, is developed by a scientist played by Richard Basehart, who shares stellar honors with George Maharis, Anne Francis and Dana Andrews in the film, The “bug” gets into the wrong hands and it becomes the business of the government security offices to retrieve it before it is used. The quest becomes of the first urgency when the owner of the stolen “Satan Bugs” looses some over a city to test its efficacy — and wipes the city out. His next objective is the City of Los Angeles which, of course, panics. These scenes are said to be among the most exciting ever captured by a motion picture camera. The only “trouble” with a bomb carrying such a virus today, scientists say, is that it would take a relatively long time to wipe out the population. People must be infected and others must “catch it” from them. But the results would be 100 percent effective and, cynical as it may sound, the price would be miniscule in comparison with what a hydrogen bomb costs to make. “The Satan Bug,” say its sponsors, is not “science-fiction.” It is a deep and penetrating study of crisis and human reaction to it. Director Sturges has already shown how he can handle human reaction to crises in his celebrated “Bad Day at Black Rock,” “The Magnificent Seven” and “The Great Escape.” ‘Satan Bug’ Stars Songless Maharis Although he is one of the country’s most popular recording vocal artists, nary a note does George Maharis utter in the Mirisch Corporation’s “The Satan Bug,” Colorby-DeLuxe-Panavision United Artists release opening ............ at the Sotes el Theatre. George plays a government security officer in the new film, and he has no time to sing as he tries to track down a lunatic who stole a batch of virus capable of wiping out a city in short order. He’s costarred with Richard Basehart, Anne Francis and Dana Andrews. John Sturges produced and directed from the Ian Stuart novel of the same name. Maharis of TV's ‘Route 66’ Stars in Film's ‘Satan Bug’ Extremely optimistic about the film career of George Maharis, who hitch-hiked to greatness along TV’s famed “Route 66,” is Producer-Director John Sturges, who should know what he’s talking about. Because Sturges said the same thing about Steve McQueen who he directed in the sensational “The Magnificent Seven” and James Garner and Steve McQueen, both of whom he directed in “The Great Escape.” History proved him right. And he should know because Sturges put Maharis through his paces in the Mirisch Corporation’s “The Satan Bug,’ United Artists release in Color by DeLuxe and Panavision, which opens ................ atbhen ana Theatre. The film is from Ian Stuart’s best-seller. Maharis is co-starred in the Mirisch-Kappa picture with Richard Basehart, Anne Francis and Dana Andrews, all names to conjure with and, says Sturges, Maharis does a job of it in the new high adventure thriller. A bundle full of talent is this George Maharis. Not only was he one of “off Broadway’s” most important and impressive players but he is also well known and highly regarded on “on” Broadway _itself. He has played stock and has an impressive list of recordings to his credit, including an Epic Album. He is also an artist of considerable merit, his oils having graced some of the most important galleries on both coasts. His record on _ television of course, needs no elaboration. Sturges Studies Human Reactions In ‘Satan Bug’ Suppose someone were to tell you that within the next few minutes somebody was going to drop a bomb over your city which would release a deadly and _ highly-infectious virus against which there was no known cure, and you were, therefore, doomed. What would you do? Well, if you don’t know, it is highly likely that motion picture Producer-Director John Sturges does. For Sturges has been specializing in human reaction to crises, and does it very well as evidenced in his now-classic “Bad Day at Black Rock,” “The Magnificent Seven” and “The Great Escape.” The above problem is posed in his latest, the Mirisch Corporation’s “The Satan Bug,” Color by DeLuxe-Panavision United Artists release opening ................ at the Theatre, and he comes up with all kinds of human reactions, probably including yours. “The Satan Bug,” which co-stars George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis and Dana Andrews, is from the Ian Stuart best-seller of the same name. Still SB-18 George is a native New Yorker of Greek descent, and attended Flushing High School in Queens where a student production called “My Dream” starred him as the singing romantic lead. This led him to think of the stage as a serious career but he didn’t get around to it until he completed his hitch in the Marine Corps. Then he entered night club work and his career was launched. George’s first film chore was hardly more than a bit in Otto Preminger’s now-famous “Exodus.” But he impressed so widely that he had a film career made for himself while he was still touring “Route 66.” Public Welcomed To Watch Filming Of ‘Satan Bug’ Generally, when a movie is being made on location, studio cops are posted for miles around and nobody who hasn’t good business on the set gets through. But that’s not the way Producer-Director John Sturges operates. When he was shooting some of the major sequences for the Mirisch Corporation’s “The Satan Bug,” Color by DeLuxe-Panavision United Artists release opening At ate eee Theatre, near Palm Springs, it was “Welcome” for everybody. The only condition was that no noise was to be made, for obvious reasons. As a result, there were huge turnouts for the 10 days during which the company, which was headed by George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis and Dana Andrews went through their paces in this screen adaptation of the Ian Stuart best-seller. “The crowds behaved magnificently,” Sturges reported. “And, he went on, look at all the wordof-mouth publicity we started!” Sturges Makes Third For Mirisch Corp. Producer-Director John Sturges, whose “The Magnificent Seven” and “The Great Escape” were made for Mirisch Corporation presentation, makes his third for the famous production company with “The Satan Bug,” in Color by DeLuxe and Panavision, opening eRe rats at=the 0)... 20 heatre; Co-starred in the United Artists release are George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis and Dana Andrews. The film is from the Ian Stuart novel. Mat 2B George Maharis and Anne Francis are co-starred in Mirisch Corporation’s “The Satan Bug,” United Artists action thriller from the Ian Stuart novel, opening ... RN ak at the 3.023. neaire: In Color by DeLuxe and Panavision, the film was produced and directed by John Sturges.