Boxoffice-March.19.1962

Opinions on Current Productions
Feature reviews
Symbol O "ienotes color; C CinemoScope; V Vista Vision; 5 Superscope; % Ponovision; fi Regalscope; t Technifomo For story synopsis on each picture, see reverse side.
Rome Adventure
F SS '— S"'"'
Warner Bros. (162) 118 Minutes Bel. April 62
jppc Audiences will be taken on a Cook's tour ol Italy in thiSjia'
Ills c colorful romantic offering The story carries the principal
'°"^'
playe.-s to the historic and scenic sites of the country, traveling
by scooter, train and bus. In fact, the background
splendor often overshadows some of the story sequences.
But overall, the film is excellent light entertainment and has
all the ingredients for boxoffice success. Troy Donahue and
Suzanne Pleshette provide the principal love interest, with
Angie Dickinson playing the unsavory feminine menace.
And Rossor.o Brazzi has been nicely cast to supply an older
romantic touch. A bonus is Al Hirt, renowned trumpet
player, who makes a brief appearance. An excellent performance
is turned in by Constance Ford, as the owner of
a book shop in Rome. Delmer Daves, who previously had
written, produced and directed "A Summer Place," "Porrish"
and "Susan Slade," did the same chores on this picture which
was based on a novel by Irving Fineman. A fine musical
background was co.uposed by Max Steiner. A tuneful song
runs through the picture, "Al Di La," sung by Emilio Pericoli,
popular Italian recording star. Troy Donahue should
strengthen his popularity with this picture and Miss Pleshette
should be regarded cs an upcoming "tar
Troy Donahue, Angie Dickinson, Rossano Brazzi, Suzanne
Pleshelte, Constance Ford, Al Hirt, Hampton Fancher.
Cape Fear F ^,
Univ.-Intl (6209) 105 Minutes Rel. May 62
.-ove'ts A gripping and suspenseful drama of terror and fear, this
•e 25 ap'ly named Sy Bartleit production is powerful fare with the
names of Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum to insure strong
returns boxoffice-wise. Although dealing with a psychotic
ex-convict who swears vengeance on the lawyer who sent
him to jail, Ihe film is not too adult for the teenagers even if
the kiddies should be left at home. Based on the novel, "The
E.xecutioners," by John D. MacDonald, this picture is equal in
shock value to the memorable "Sudden Fear" of 1952, which
also held audiences enthralled. Rarely within memory has a
top player been willing to portray a character without a
single redeeming trait and Mitchum is amazingly convincing
as the relentless, sadistic killer—a truly menacing performance.
The ^-tartling climax might even bring out a few
shrieks from nervous patrons. Peck is equally fine as the
lawyer willing to go to great lengths to protect his wife and
12-year-old daughter. Adding name value, as well as histrionic
skill, are two current TV favorites, Polly Bergen, attractive
end capable as the wife, and Lori Martin, young lead
in Ihe popular TV series, "National Velvet," who resembles
Ihe young Elizabeth Taylor who starred in that 1944 film. ].
Lee Thompson's direction ij first-rate.
Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, Martin
Balsam, Lori Martin. Jack Kruschen, Barrie Chase.
'ON
PrematuTe Burial F
Ratio: Horror Drama
2.35-1 ® ©
American-Int'l (702) 81 Minutes flel. Feb. '62
Still another ol Edgar Allan Poe's classic tales of horror
has been brought to the screen by Roger Gorman, who has
given it fine production trappings, including rich period settings
in color and Panavis'cn, shuddery fog and mist effects
and a good cast, headed by Ray Milland, one-time Paramount
rtar. While this is not qui'e as blood-curdling as Gorman's
"House of Usher" of 1960 or "Pit and the Pendulum" of 1961,
it is a strong boxoffice contender, made-to-order for the
horror-action devotees. The screenplay by Charles Beaumont ^= i
and Ray Russel! explains the reason for the hero's fear of
'
being buried alive while keeping the identity of the person
responsible for the many weird happenings concealed until
the surprise climax. The shuddery moments include a skeleton
falling from the family crypt and a cataleptic victim being
placed in a coffin and buried v.rhile he is inwardly struggling
to move and speak. Milland, a star for more than 20 years,
and Heather Angel, leading woman of the 1930-45 period, are
both effective in their middle-aged portrayals while Richard
Ney, another youthful veteran, also does well. Hazel Court,
familiar from British films and TV, is less convincing as the
handsome, scheming heroine. Gorman produced and directed.
Ray Milland, Hazel Court, Richard Ney, Heather Angel,
Alan Napier, John Dierkes, Richard Miller, Brendan Dillon.
The Tell-Tale Heart A ^^^,
"""" """"'
Danziger-States Rights 73 Minutes Rel. March '62
Edgar Allan Poe, a name of tremendous impact on the
modern-day horror scene—as witness the grosses for
American-International's "The Pit and the Pendulum," et al,
et al—was responsible for this story (or at least the idea
from which it sprang)—as gripping, as gruesome as anything
in this particular atmosphere in a number of boxofficetinkling
years. Ernest Morris has directed— for the Danziger
Brothers (Edward and Harry)—his spirited thespicms, including
Laurence Payne and Adrierme Gorri, building to the
inevitable climax with consummate skill and thundering
dramatic components. While the discriminating, characteristically
disregarding such entertainment, will shy away out
of distaste, the admittedly sizable market that is known to
patronize films of this calibre should more than compensate,
attendance-wise. The acting is on a par with like efforts,
Payne and Miss Gorri making of their particular delineations
memorable exercises in fright. Payne smolders
with skilfully defined grimaces and Miss Gorri brings to her
feminine role the coquettishness so necessary to Poe's_u'[^
heroines. The lunior Miss and Master, attracted by the'ork
imaginative promotion necessary to build the film's mass
appeal, should be discouraged; it's not for the kiddies,
Laurence Payne, Adrienne Corn, Dermot Walsh, Selma
Vas Dias, John Scott, John Martin, Annette Carell.
Ue: ^
Viscc*
Hand of Death F ^^i
""'°' ""'""
20th-Fox (212) 60 Minutes HeL March '62
Program filler from the word go, this .science-ficlion-chaseand-effects
effort, written and produced by Eugene Ling for
Associated Producers, Inc., and released via 20th-Fox, has
little to recommend it for the top slot in the de luxe showcases.
The premise of a chemical able to strike sudden death
with a mere touch, the while the carrier is immune, has been
put forth with far greater dramatic credibility in past years,
and dancer-actor-turned-direc'or Gene Nelson hasn't come
up here with distinguished handling of the format. John
Agar, principal player in this type of film for some time now,
is appropriately grim-faced as he moves ever so swiftly to
death and certain de.struction, over the initial protestations of
his intended, Paula Raymond, and associate Steve Dunne.
Inevitable, certainly, is movement; in the laboratory, in the
street, in the country, conveying a feeling, minimum effect
though it may be, of tremendous urgency, of a once-dedicated
scientist spurred on to finish a project. The kiddy
audiences and the adult action and science-fiction crowds
that seem to delight in such goings-on will find what happens
of particular interest. The far more discriminating, however,
will squirm with disgut. Miss Raymond is a proper
feminine foil and the supporting players are good.
John Agar, Paula Raymond. S'eve Dunne,
Roy Gordon, John Alonzo.
Temptation
A
Ratio
Melodrama
1.85-1
Rel. Mar
Cameo Int'l 94 Minutes Rel. Mar. '62
A strictly adult, no-holds barred, sensual study of life on
a remote island somewhere in the Indian Ocean—the dramatic,
abrupt result of a ship's encounter with a mine—this
V/illiam Shelton presentation will appeal to the action-andadventure
crowd, but is certainly, by no stretch of the
imagination, for the younger, impressionable minds. It may
well run into bluenose trouble in some of the more sensitive
situations. Acting-wise, it leaves little to be desired—all
concerned with this essentially four-character vignette apply
themselves with certainty and conviction under Edmond T.
Greville's practiced and precise direction, working from an
adaptation by himself, novelist Henri Crouzal (on whose book
yarn is based) and Louis A. Pascal. Christian Marquand, the
French war correspondent suddenly confronted with an overwhelming
choice of voluptuousness on a small volcanic
island, brings to his particular delineation on eorthiness that
should have the audience's distaff components squealing
with delight. Dawn Addams, U.S. -European actress; Magali
Noel of France; and Rossana Podesta, of Italy, ore his
romantic targets of varying impact and concentration.
Jacques Lemare's photographic effects are firm, contributing
significantly to Ihe sombre mood of the moment.
Magali Noel, Dawn Addams, Rossana Podesta,
Christian Marquand.
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: March
19, 1962 2613