Wednesday, April 21, 1965 V&RIEft PICTURES S MASSIVE FOX USE OF ABC SELL : 1- ^ . Too Many Writers Can t Shake POE SEES HOI MCA CredCredoo oonn ScreeSere n Material: Their War Years; Never Write A SETS BIZ KEY 'No UnsoliciteUnsolicited Manuscripts'; Good Woman's Role—Deborah Kerr By VINCENT CANBY It's Not' A new, actually precedental, use It's Not 'Angel,' But a Scout Hollywood, April 20. of television as a selling medium MCA is expanding its search for Hung up on their own war ex­ for motion pictures is being potential film properties. Prin­ periences and violence in general, PREM PROMISES PAR undertaken by 20th-Fox which has EMBASSY GUARANTEES cipal sources will be theatrical male screenwriters continue to contracted for a total of 189 one- productions and published literary weave masculine-slanted filmic SEVEN FUTURE FILMS minute spots on the ABC-TV net­ IN GERMANY, AUSTRIA works. With the former, however, tales to the exclusion of good work over a 52-week period start­ the company wants it clear that femme stories, insists Deborah Paramount Pictures has ex­ ing this week. 20th, in effect, will A deal involving $2,000,000 in "We're no 'angels' " and with the Kerr, in Hollywood for role in War­ tended its deal with Otto Premin- become the first motion picture guarantees, has been signed be­ latter, while it is interested in all ner Bros. "Marriage on the Rocks," ger from three to seven pictures, company to participate, on a con­ tween Embassy Pictures and Ger­ types of writers, well-known or "Writers still haven't got the to be made within an indefinite tinuing basis, in the sponsorship many's Interfilm for distribution still to be discovered, it will not war out of their systems," she period. of network television shows. in Germany and Austria of 12 accept unsolicited material. avers, "Ther're still writing about First film in deal, "In Harm's Embassy productions. "Our interest in properties, fighting and relationships of ad­ The ABC-TV buy is a. favored This is continuation of long as­ Way," is now in release. Second, project of 20th exec veepee Sey­ whether stage or literary," Wil­ venturous men. Many of our best "Hurry Sundown," starts shooting sociation between two companies. liam Darrid, executive head of writers are in their 40's and 50's mour Poe who has long felt that Agreement was concluded between in the South this fall. No other the film industry has hardly MCA's theatre department, told and their strongest and most vital properties are definite. Embassy veep Leonard Lightstone VARIETY last week, "is in their experiences remain those they had scratched the surface potential of and Interfilm's Willie Kuschel and Preminger is now making television as a film promotional usefulness as film or television ma­ In war and in the company of other Heinz Diedrich. terial, not in actual production. men." "Bunny Lake Is Missing" for medium. While the major distribs Columbia, his last for that com­ have occasionally bought time on We are not interested in terms of "They're the product of an era pany though a couple of others net shows in the past, such buys making money as Broadway pro­ of war and violence. They're ob­ were originally announced. Deal have been confined to individual ducers, that isn't the purpose. It sessed with war as well as crime for two more with United Artists shows for the advertising of in­ Brisson Readies is for the acquisition of a property, and violence of all kinds. There is still in effect, but projects, in­ dividual films. Television as an ad or even some phase of a property. are very few womens' stories be­ cluding much-postponed "Genius," medium heretofore has been util­ "This could, of course, include ing written—it's harder and harder are in nebulous state. ized primarily on the local level. 'Passion Flower' pre-production investment as in the to find them today." Results of the 20th move will be case of Garson Kanin and Ruth Miss Kerr waited nearly 18 studied carefully by the other dis­ Gordon's "A Very Rich Woman." months after completing Metro's tribs, as well, perhaps, by com­ New product is constantly neces­ "Night of the Iguana" to go into a peting ad media, though Poe says For Stage, Screen sary and the theatre and literature new film. "Marriage" lured her out MGM Pace Sturdy; at this time the money involved in will always be the two principal of her self-imposed inactivity with Hollywood, April 20. sources. With our involvement the ABC deal will be "supple­ Producer Fred Brisson has ac­ its promise of a career departure menting" 20th's regular sell in motion pictures and television, —playing broad comedy. quired stage and motion picture we have a tremendous and con­ budget, and not taking away rights to the Wolf Mankowitz book, Actress committed to do the film TV Residuals As funds which might have been stant need for good story ma­ "Passion Flower Hotel," and has terial." on basis of treatment which she spent elsewhere. set John Barry to clef the score, had read and under pressure of The 20th buy breaks down this Trevor Peacock to supply lyrics. He explained that in the case of Frank Sinatra's insistence— he co- Golden Fountain way: 54 one-minute spots on ABC- Brisson, who will stage the play a Broadway musical, MCA's in­ stars in addition to producing TV's Saturday afternoon Major terest could be from several an­ MGM first-half figures for fis­ in London's West End mid-July, through Artanis Prods. Sinatra League Championship Baseball plans to convert same to a feature gles. The story itself for use as a phoned her in Switzerland from cal 1965 showed company in sec­ show, covering 23 weeks starting film for Universal Pictures, as a ond year of comeback, with net film and subsequently bring it to Italian location of "Von Ryan's this Saturday (24); 135 one- Broadway. tv production, the original cast Express" and gave her the pitch. profits 91% ahead of correspond­ rights for Decca Records, the mu­ minute spots on ABC-TV's Night­ Having wound score chores on Normally she wouldnt' agree to ing period a year ago. But earn­ life show, covering a 52-week sic publishing rights for Leeds do a film sans finished script in ings, statement indicates that al­ Columbia's "King Rat," Barry to­ Music, etc. On the other hand, period starting Monday (26). The day hops to Nassau to dig up hand but says, "there are just one most no profit was chalked up baseball show has a once-a-week only one phase might be of in­ or two people on whose words I from theatrical distribution of fea­ native musical ideas for his fourth terest and each of the MCA sub­ slot, while Nightlife, ABC-TV's an­ James Bond film assignment, would do it." Sinatra, with whom tures, and that sales to television swer to NBC-TV's Tonight show, sidiaries can work autonomously in she did "From Here to Eternity" were deciding factor. "Thunderball." He then returns to the acquisition. is on five nights a week. his London homebase, where he'll is one, Fred Zinnemann (he helmed Gross figures from features and According to Poe, who cohosted actress' "Eternity" stint and "Sun­ commence cleffing prior to under­ A frequent headache in pur­ shorts show $57,473,000 taken in a press conference in New York taking the "Passion" assignment. chasing properties for filmmaking, downers" as well) is another. from theatres and $6,943,000 from yesterday (Tues.) with ABC-TV Darrid said, is that some theatri­ sales to television, but there is no prez Tom Moore, 20th retains the On another take, Barry confides Miss Kerr hasn't hade a film his share of "Goldfinger," which cal producers and writers try to here since "Beloved Infidel" for breakdown between theatrical and right to slot its spots as it sees second guess what film producers tv distribution for net figure. fit, though he doesn't anticipate he scored for United Artists, comes 20th-Fox in 1959. Physically, she to around $150,000 to date, includ­ will want and sometimes ruin the says, the town has changed Since almost entire amounts re­ ever using more than three one- property by obvious slanting ceived from tv are clear profit, minute spots in any one show. ing all performances. The UA "enormously" but professionally album was released only last towards a potential screenplay. As she finds the scene status quo. however, inescapable conclusion is Cost of the 189 spots, if bought in­ most purchased properties have to that $6,592,000 net from feature dividually, would run upwards of Christmas. He adds the sound­ track was the first such LP from be adapted, anyhow, they'd do films and shorts is entirely, or $2,000,000, but because of the size much better to avoid this pitfall. almost entirely, from tv sales. and scope of this buy, 20th enjoys a non-musioal pic to hit top 10 in England. "Many film companies have This despite fact that block­ a substantial rate reduction. (Be­ neglected the off-Broadway the­ Anhalt Takes Loss buster "Molly Brown" was in con­ cause of this, cost is estimated at atre," added Darrid, "and because siderable circulation during first about $1,200,000.) Ernest Sands Adds Braid \^e are so deeply involved in tele- quarter, and other films, notably 20th's "message" thus will be (Continued on page 15) "Americanization of Emily" and exposed in the 191 cities covered Ernest Sands, who became Para- For His Break-in "Your Cheatin' Heart" were gross­ by the ABC net, reaching a total mount's assistant sales chief at ing well. (in ad agency-type figuring) of 3/4 beginning of year, has been named of a billion tv sets over the 12- a vice president of Paramount Other contributors to $8,193,000 Film Distributing subsidiary. As a Director total net, before taxes, were tv month period. Another Vidpic programs, $332,000; and records The cost of the tele buy will be Sands was formerly general Hollywood, April 20. and music, $1,152,000. Though amortized among 15 pictures, with sales manager for Allied Artists, Edward Anhalt, who copped an deals totaling $22,720,705 for sale 20th utilizing the spots not only and prior to that was sales boss at Oscar for his "Becket" script, has of features and shorts to NBC, (Continued on page 20) Astor Pictures. Production Co. wrapped his first directional assign­ CBS and syndication were made ment and reports experience was a during first half, no income from monetary flop but educationally, a this source is included in net re­ success. ported for period. Turns Theatrical To direct "A Time For Killing" Profits after taxes for 28-week Facing Art, Middle Class Goes Numb It's becoming a trend: producers from his own script for NBC-TV's period ending March 18 were $3,- New York Times columnist Russell Baker delighted many of tv commercials and industrial Chrysler Theatre Anhalt had to 611,000 or $1.38 a share, compared industryiites with his Washi'ngton-datelined article, "They've films moving over into feature film come across with $2500 for mem­ to $1,886,000 or 73 cents for cor­ Snatched Bogart," in the April 1 Times. Piece was a wry look production. Latest to make the bership in the Screen Directors responding period in fiscal 1964. at the indignities which must be borne by film patrons since move is the New York-based Com­ Guild. Writer, who is in the $5,000 Second quarter earnings were $2,- films have suddenly been popularized as "arty" among the middle munications Group, headed by a week screenwriting bracket, was 045,000 or 78 cents, against $1,- class and, as Baker observes, "when the middle class finds itself Gerald Auerbach, Which with Ar­ paid $1,650 for his work—for a net 201,000 or 47 cents last year. confronted with art, it tends to go to pieces." gentine producer Orestes Trucco, loss of $850. Metro prexy Robert H. O'Brien, "In the heydey of Hollywood," he goes on, "a trip to the movies starts production May 3 in Buenos Purpose of venture was to even­ in his letter to stockholders, pre­ was undertaken much in the same spirit as a trip to Coney Island Aires on "Stay Tuned for Terror," tually aid Anhalt in getting a shot dicted an increase for entire year ... By contrast, a trip to the movies now is often an ordeal a Richard Conte starrer. at directing a feature. To chore he over the $7,390,476 reported for from beginning to end," including talk about cutting, montage Film will be produced by Cald­ brought past film editing experi­ fiscal 1964. Loss in 1963 was $17,- and the $2 rap at the boxoffice. Lobbies, he says, have "been well Pictures, a corporation set up ence, a couple of outings as a test 478,965. stripped of the plush excesses which made the most unlettered by Gerald Pictures, a division film director and many years of feel superior" and in their place are "paintings, a coffee pot, of Communications Group, and set-side observation. Gross revenue for first half of 1965 was $88,616,000, compared to some china and a few people sitting about over coffee who Trucoo. Richard C. Meyer is veep Says Anhalt of experience, "I $87,703,000 the year before. have doubtless been hired to sit there and glance at you dis­ in charge of production for Gerald. found that what other directors had tastefully." been telling me for years—that is Pic, a suspense film, will be shot There are still fun pictures, he thinks, like "The Train" and in Eastman Color and in English an enormous difference between "Jules and Jim," but there are also experiences like Ingmar what's on paper and what plays on Solo Aide to MacEwen on a budget of about $150,000. Bergman's "The Silence," which he calls "a long, boring movie Emilio Vieyra will direct the cast the set. I was constantly re-writ­ Robert Solo has been appointed about some people who cannot communicate with each other." ing on the set . . . From the experi­ which, aside from Conte, will be assistant to Walter MacEwen, exec­ Bergman's statement about the problems of communication, recruited in B.A. It's hoped the ence I gained more respect for utive associate of Jack L. Warner, Baker adds, "is driven brutally home when the movie-goer directors." film will be the first of a continu­ in Warner Bros.' feature division. leaves the theatre. The lobby is filled with people who have ing program from Gerald. "A lot of people told me not to He'll assist MacEwen in creative been bored catatonic for two years, but there people are incapable Other commercial-industrial out­ do it. They said unless you are areas as well as business affairs, of communicating their boredom. They cannot say, as they could extremely lucky or extraordinarily starting at Burbank studio in early fits which have expanded to feature have in the swinish atmosphere of the Roxy, 'I thought it would films include Martin Ransohoff's talented it doesn't help to direct tv May. never end.' Instead, submitting to the tyranny of cinema, they because of the contempt in which F i 1 m w a y s, MPO Videotronics, Solo, who started in film busi­ are forced to enthuse about Bergman's camera work, the symbols, which just set up a feature division television is held by film people ness with the Ashley-Steiner agen­ the cutting, the sense of spiritual desolation, etc. In the old . . . So I deliberately chose an ex­ under Paul Heller, and the Emit cy in its motion picture depart­ Roxy, you could have said, 'It's a piece of cheese.' In the new Pintoff organization, which haf tremely difficult property so that ment, left agency a year ago for cinema you mutter, 'It's a cultural experience' and change the (Continued on page 15) just completed "Harvey Middle­ an executive post at 20th-Fox. subject." ,••--•• man, Fireman," for Columbia.