Boxoffice_May.09.1960

. . America's
. . See
FEATURE REVIEWS Story Synopsis; Exploitips; Adiines for Newspaper and Programs ^lES:'
THE STORY:
"Huckleberry Finn" (MGM)
Huckleberry Finn (Eddie Hodges) runs away irom his
prim guardian (Josephine Hutchinson) following a visit from
his drunken father, to sail down the Mississippi on a raft
with Jim, a runaway Negro slave. En route they meet two
river characters, Tony Randall and Mickey Shaughnessy, _,„,
who force Huck to help them swindle two orphan girls out of -day
their inheritance. Huck saves the day for the girls and again ^^°'
gets away to be picked up by a Mississippi turn-wheeler,
where he acts as cabin boy until Randall again finds him.
So Huck and his Negro slave join a traveling circus and,
when the slave is captured, Huck masquerades as a girl
and manages to outwit the sheriff and his gullible wife (Judy
Canova) and let the slave go free. Huck then heads back
to his guardian.
EXPLOITIPS:
Selling angles are almost endless, starting with bookshop
tieups for window displays of Mark Twain books, making
contacts with local historical or Mark Twain societies for
special showings and playing up Archie Moore, light heavyweight
champion, to attract sports fans, and Andy Devine,
young Eddie Hodges and Patty McCormack.
CATCHLINES:
Mark Twain's Beloved Tale—Filmed in CinemaScope and
Color for the First Time . Beloved Classic of
Life on the Old Mississippi.
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THE STORY:
The Rat Race" (Para)
Burning with ambition, musician Tony Curtis arrives in
Manhattan and finds himself sharing a cheap boardinghouse
room with Debbie Reynolds, an embittered dancf
hall girl. With only a curtain to divide their respectiv4
sleeping quarters, Tony becomes suspicious of Debbie's
various activities, not knowing that the mysterious phone
calls she receives are from her boss Don Rickles who is
black-mailing her to indulge in after-hours entertainment to
repay a financial loan. In order to buy a saxophone for
Tony so he can join a band on a South American cruise.
Debbie gets another loan from Rickles. While Curtis is gone,
Don again unsuccessfully tries to pressure Debbie into succumbing
to his demands. Furious, he sets his henchmen to
demand payment at knife point, but Tony arrives home in
time to pay off Don and convince Debbie that he needs her
with him forever.
EXPLOITIPS:
Tout topliners Debbie Reynolds and Tony Curtis. Request
disc jockeys' cooperation in spinning jazz platters by such
internationally famous artists as Gerry Mulligan, Joe Bushkin
and Sam Butera.
CATCHLINES:
Tony and Debbie Discover That the Rat Race Is Easier
to Run Togetherl . the New, Sophisticated Debbie in
a Role You Never Thought She'd Play.
THE STORY: "'RaYmie" (AA)
Eight-year-old David Ladd, an avid fisherman, dreams of
capturing Old Moe, a giant barracuda. His haunting of the
fishing pier raises the ire of some of the older men, and
their objections to him appear justified when David becomes
involved in several minor incidents. When the boy's friend,
Charles Winninger, becomes ill and is forced to give up
fishing, he gives all of his expensive fishing gear to David.
One day, there is a bite on David's hook, and out of the
sea leaps Old Moe. Suddenly, during efforts to land the
barracuda, David does not want the fish destroyed and
finally frees it by cutting the line as it is being hauled in.
only one who understands the boy's change
Winninger is the
of heart and explains that, "The kid has taught us all a
great lesson . . . like making up your mind you want
thing and having the courage to sacrifice for it." L-IN
some-
EXPLOITIPS: "
Hold a fishing contest, giving free ducats to kids under
12 who bring in the biggest catch. Ask sporting goods
stores to display fishing gear along with stills from picture.
Tout David Ladd, juvenile favorite, as star of "Dog of
Flanders," and as the real-life son of actor Alan Ladd.
CATCHLINES:
Out of the Sea Came the Boy's Sworn Enemy, But Could
He Destroy Him? ... A Story of Love and Courage and a
Small Boy's Great Sacrifice.
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THE STORY: "Prisoner ol the Volga" (Para)
In feudal Russia, John Derek, young cavalry officer, weds
a princess (Dawn Addams) before he learns she is pregnant
and that the father is the general who encouraged the marriage.
When Derek attacks the general, he is sent to a far-off
disciplinary camp. When Dawn brings her jewels to buy his
escape, she is shot and dies in his arms. The fleeing Derek
meets three friendly Volga boatmen, who hide him from
pursuers and he joins them while awaiting a passport from
a friendly peasant girl, Elsa Martinelli. The latter falls in
love with Derek until she hears gossip that he had murdered
his wife. Meanwhile, the general is exposed and he
rides to find Derek and kill him before he learns he has,
been reinstated in the Russian army. The boatmen come
to Derek's rescue and, after the general is killed and his
Cossacks routed, Derek and Elsa ore reunited and he returns
to his regiment.
EXPLOITIPS:
Publicize the fact that John Derek was one of the stars
of DeMille's "The Ten Commandments" and that Elsa Martinelli
starred in Kirk Douglas' "Indian Fighter."
CATCHLINES:
The Love Story of a Handsome Volga Boatman and a Fiery
Peasant Girl . . . Handsome John Derek, One of the Stars
of "The Ten Commandments," With Two Foreign Beauties,
Elsa Martinelli and Dawn Addams.
THE STORY: "Battle of Blood Island" (Filmgroup)
THE STORY: "Ski Troop Attack" (Filmgroup)
An American ski patrol penetrates into the Huertgen Forest
in Germany to reconnoiter behind the enemy lines during the
thick of the battle. Von Runstedt is about to begin his final
and greatest offensive—the Battle of the Bulge. The ski
patrol, under heavy fire, is cut off from all avenues of retreat.
Not knowing where the American lines are, the patrol
decides to advance, unaware that a German ski patrol is
following close behind. As the Germans close in, the American
ski troop nears the objective—a bridge which carries
most of the enemy's heavy equipment. The two patrols engage
in furious hand-to-hand combat at the cost of many
lives as the outnumbered Americans battle their way to the
bridge
After the failure of an Allied invasion in the South Pacific,
two men discover that they are the only American survivors
left on the island. Japanese troops surround them. Moe
carries Ken, who is critically wounded, to a cave where they
attempt to stay alive and avoid detection by relying on Moe's
cunning. Armed with determination, the two men plan to
wipe out the 15 Japanese who hold the island. They find
that all IS have committed suicide, and correctly assume the
war is over. Now there is no one on the island, and there
is no means of communication with the outside world. Deserted
and desolate and fighting between themselves, they
are finally discovered and rescued.
EXPLOITIPS:
EXPLOITIPS:
Hold a screening or issue passes to similar war victims in
your area. Advertise as a typical story of the difficulties of
war. Send notes through town written in red ink and edged
as if in blood.
CATCHLINES:
10,000 Men Attacked—Two Got Through The Stirring
and Courageous Story of Two Men Who Survived Under /'*' •?
Near-Impossible Conditions . . . War's Ravages Displayed I.,
Boldly.
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Advertise as a story of the famous Battle of the Bulge.
Have snow and ski clothes about the lobby and have someone
walk through town dressed as a ski trooper advertising
the picture. Give passes to any veterans of the battle or to
ex-ski troopers,
CATCHLINES:
They Turned a White Hell Red
Physical and Psychological Battle
Events of World War II . . . White
With
in
Enemy
One of
Hot With
the
Blood . . .
Most Fierce
Action and
Advt'iilure.
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