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corrmiodity.
Mervyn Le Roy to Promote
'Gypsy' on U.S. Tour
HOLLYWOOE)—The time has come for
HollyAvood to show an interest in audiences
so audiences will generate a new Interest
in Holl.\n.vood. So believes Mervyn Le Roy,
who consequently will embark on a fourweek
national tour of key cities in the U. S.
a month before the national release ol
"Gypsy" which he is producing and directing
at Warner Bros. Rosalind Russell,
Natalie Wood and Karl Maiden are stan-ed.
On his swing around the country, Le Roy
will address college groups, clubs, business
organizations, plus making TV appearances
and huddling with motion picture
editors of newspapers and magazines.
Le Roy is scheduled to start production
on "Mary, Mary," based on Jean Kerr's
Broadway comedy hit. at Warners in early
1963. He expects to complete "Gypsy" later
this month, after which he will take a
European vacation, returning to this country
in the fall preparatory to starting his
goodwill torn-.
Denver-Based Producers
To Make Feature Film
DENVER — Production of a featurelength
motion picture, "A Badge for
Damiy," is scheduled to start here May 15
as a fii-st theatrical ventui-e for Ken Kennedy
Productions, headed by Ken Kennedy
and John C. MulUns, local TV executives.
Script for the picture was written by
Kennedy's brother, Burt, in Hollywood. The
story, set in Denver, Is that of a policeman's
son.
Mullins and Kemiedy said they are coproducing
the film in the hope that it will
be the first of many. Kemiedy is a director
at KBTV, which is owned by Mullins.
Negotiations are under way, Kennedy
said, for Marjorie Reynolds and Ti-is Coffin
to play leading roles in the film, and a
search is being made for a 12 to 14-yearold
boy to play the title role. The principal
roles are expected to be cast out of Hollywood,
however some 18 speaking roles will
be cast locally.
Distribution ai-rangements will be negotiated
after the film's completion.
48 Bowery Boy Features
Available for TV Use
HOLLYWOOD—At the opening of the
first general sales meeting of Allied Artists
Television Coi-p., it was i-evealed that 48
Bowery Boys feature comedies, originally
released by AA. have been made available
to television as of April 16.
The four-day session held at the studio
was addressed by Steve Broidy, president
of the parent company. Executives who
arrived here for the meeting with sales
vice-president Robert B. Morin are Pete
Jaeger, eastern sales manager: Fred Frank,
southern sales manager: Jim Stem, midwest
sales manager: Barney BroUes, southwest
sales manager, and Maurice Gresham,
western sales manager. Allied's TV subsidiary
is headed by Edward Morey as
president.
To Portray Lieut. Kennedy
HOLLYWOOD — Cliff Robertson has
snagged the plum role of Lieut. John F.
Kennedy in "PT 109." The Warner Bros.
film is based on the wai'time experiences
of the President.
Youngstein Reviews Company's Progress
Sees Big Gain for Cinerama Income;
Hails New 360-Degree Still Camera
Max E. Toungst«in
NEW YORK—Cinerama's new still camra
and the comijany's potential earnings
were stressed by Max
F. Youngstein, execuii\i'
vice-president, at
a meeting of the New
York Society of Security
Analysts
Wednesday (4).
Youngstein reviewed
the progress
of Cinerama, details
of which were well
known to the trade
but, apparently, new
to the financial people,
and pointed out
that the profit potentials of the two upcoming
Cinerama productions were $5,000
per week in each of the 120 Cineramaequipped
theatres throughout the world,
making a total of $600,000. The two films
are "How the West Was Won" and "The
Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm."
The new still camera, Youngstein said,
can do for still photography what the
Cinerama cameras can do for motion pictures—and
more. The camera can shoot
a pictui-e at a 360-degree angle; in other
words, it can shoot all sides of a single
room, or any portion thereof. Youngstein
said. It has an electric eye and fixed focus
and is interchangeable with color and
black-and-white.
Youngstein said he had used the camera
and that it measured up to all that was
claimed for it. He said specifications now
were being sent to various factories for
estimates on turning the cameras out on
a large scale. He said it would be a "low
priced " The mechanism is
based on patents of the late Fred Waller
who developed Cinerama.
"How the West Was Won" will be completed
in mid-May and will be released
"
late in the year. "Brothers Grimm may be
released in the late summer. The former
cost approximately $12,000,000 to produce
and the latter about $6,000,000. Both will
be distributed by Motro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Youngstein predicted that the two pictures
would be among the highest gross films of
all time.
Youngstein gave credit to Nicholas Reisini.
president and chairman of the board
of Cinerama, for the progress made by the
company. He said Reisini had pulled Cinerama
out of a losing proposition into a
profit company in three years and had arranged
for a $6,000,000 credit with Prudential
Insurance Co. as part of a financial reorganization
plan.
Youngstein said Cinerama would make
pictures with "timeless" themes so that
there always would be residuals of quality
product in the inventory.
Analyst Cites 2 "Problem'
C.O.A., INC., S4 DAUPHIN ST., MOBILE, ALABAMA
Production Companies
NEW YORK — Metro-Gold\vyn-Mayer
and 20th Century-Fox were described as
"problem" companies by David Bell, an
analyst for Gruss & Co., investment house,
at a meeting of the New York Society of
Secm-ity Analysts Wednesday. The basis
for the problems, he said, was two expensive
pictures, "Mutiny on the Bounty" iMGM*
and "Cleopatra" f20th-Fox).
Bell pointed out that MGM had a disappointing
second quarter but that prospects
were good for a profitable last half
of the fiscal year. He also congratulated
the MGM management for restoring the
company to a sound basis after a period
of stockholder and inner strife.
Companies doing well, Bell said, were
United Artists. Buena Vista, Paramount.
Universal and Decca.
BOXOFFICE April 16. 1962 19