Boxoffice-December.17.1962

Columbia Sets 4 Films
For Jan.-Feb.-March
NEW YORK—Columbia will launch the
first three months of 1963 with four major
releases headed by the Sam Spiegel-David
Lean production of "Lawrence of Arabia,"
the SuperPanavision-70 and Technicolor picture
which will have its American premiere
on a reserved-seat basis at the Criterion
Theatre in New York December 16. This
will be followed by the west coast opening
at the Stanley Warner Beverly Hills
December 21 to qualify the picture for the
Academy Awards and the New York Film
Critics' Awards.
The national release for January will be
William Castle's "The Old Dark House,"
coproduced with Hammer Films in England,
starring Tom Poston, Robert Morley and
Joyce Grenfell, in Eastman Color. The
February release will be Jen-y Bresler's production
of "Diamond Head," filmed on location
in the Hawaiian Islands in Eastman
Color and Panavision, starring Charlton
Heston, Yvette Mimieux, George Chakiris,
France Nuyen and James DaiTen.
Heading the March release schedule will
be "The Man From the Diners' Club," produced
by William Bloom for Dena-Ampersand
Productions, starring Danny Kaye, Cara
Williams, Martha Hyer and Telly Savalas.
Manhattan Films to Release
38 Films 1963 First Half
LOS ANGELES—Robert I. Kronenberg,
president of Manhattan Films International,
announced that the company will
have a minimum of 38 new features for
exhibitors by the first of 1963, in addition
to the reissue of some 27 other features.
The lineup of new product will include
ten films from Seven Arts, five from Atlantic
Pictures, seven from Astor Pictures,
one from Atlantis Films, one each from
Compass Productions and President Films,
six from Premier Films and four from
Zenith International.
Kionenberg made a ten-day trip to New
York to meet with importers for additional
product for the 13 western states.
ACCEPTS ALLIED AWARD—Joseph
E. Levine, president of Embassy Pictures,
named "Producer of the Year"
by the National Allied organization,
accepts the commemorative silver
bowl at the Allied Awards banquet in
Cleveland. Above, left to right: Ben
Marcus, National Allied executive;
George Murphy, awards m.c.; Levine;
and Marshall Fine, newly elected board
chairman of the exhibitors' group.
'Dive -In'
Movies Offered
Seaside Hotel Guests
MIAMI BEACH—A poolside
theatre
complete with usherettes in bikinis has
been introduced as guest entertainment
by an imaginative hotelman here. The
idea of a "Dive-In" is credited to Sid
Raffel of the Carillon Hotel.
"Moonlight splash parties have long
been a staple of hotel social programs
in Miami Beach," Raffel said. "Combining
them with outdoor movies seems
so logical, it's a wonder we haven't
done it before."
The Carillon Dive-In also has dry
seating arrangements for guests who
prefer to watch from around the pool
rather than in it.
Raffel is obviously on the right
track. Could there be a more romantic
setting for a movie? As Omar Khaygam
might have put it: "A tropic
zephyr, a rising moon, and thou beside
me in a bathing suit." All this,
and popcorn too, says Raffel.
Schulman to Handle Ad
Material for Ultra
NEW YORK — Ultra Pictures Corp.,
newly organized distribution company, has
retained William Schulman's Mayfair
Graphics, creative art and copy organization,
to prepare all the advertising material
for its four releases, according to Budd
Rogers, president.
The pictures are "The Rice Girl," "Two
Nights With Cleopatra," "Fatal Desire"
and "A Day in Court." all of which will be
released early in 1963. Schulman was director
of advertising and publicity for Realart
Pictures for four years and also served
as ad manager for industrial firms. He
had also served as New England advertising
representative for Universal-International.
Blank-Rand will handle publicity and
public relations for Ultra.
Hyndman Reports 80%
TV Prime Time on Film
ROCHESTER, N.Y.—Donald E. Hyndman,
assistant vice-president of Eastman
Kodak Co. and manager of the motion picture
film department, this week reported
that 80 per cent of the TV prime time shows
now are on motion picture film, a trend being
expanded by all three major networks
—ABC, CBS and NBC.
Of these, he said, 50 to 55 shows are produced
on 35mm film for weekly prime time
showings and from five to seven are on
16mm film. Hyndman also pointed out
that the use of color is increasing. NBC
last yeir had one color show a week, in 1962
this increased to four and in 1963 will increase
to seven. ABC will have three color
shows each week.
UCPA Award to Joyne Mcmsfield
HOLLYWOOD—Jayne Mansfield will be
honored as "Personality of the Year" by
the United Cerebral Palsy Ass'n. She receives
her award during a special ceremony
highlighting the UCPA telethon emanating
from Albany. N.Y., December 22, 23.
250,000 See 'Mutiny';
14 More U.S. Dates
NEW YORK—More than 250,000 persons
have paid more than $500,000 to see
"Mutiny on the Bounty" in the first three
weeks of its ten U. S. and Canadian engagements
since it opened at Loew's State
November 8. Since that date, the MGM
picture has also opened in Chicago, Philadelphia,
Boston, Los Angeles, Detroit, San
Francisco, Washington, Montreal and Toronto.
"Mutiny" is opening in an additional 14
situations in December. These dates started
at the Cinerama Theatre, Honolulu, Wednesday
. The others are at the Clairidge,
Montclair, N. J., December 12, and the
Martins, New Orleans; Ritz, Birmingham;
Windsor. Houston: Cooper, Omaha: Strand,
Erie, Pa.; Rosna, Norfolk: Carolina, Charlotte;
Five Points, Jacksonville; Syosset,
Syosset, L. I.; Florida, Miami, and Palace,
Tampa, all between December 20 and 22.
Franklin Schaffner Forms
Own Producing Company
NEW YORK—Franklin Schaffner, who
recently completed the direction of "A
Woman in July," a 20th Century-Fox picture
to be released next April, has formed
his own independent company, Gilcrist
Productions, to make a motion picture,
"The Healer," based on an original by
Loring Mandel.
Schaffner plans to produce and direct
"The Healer" in the late summer of 1963
with studio work in New York and location
in rural Pennsylvania. He will confer with
Kirk Douglas regarding the starring role.
Gilcrist may coproduce, with Robert Fryer,
Lawrence Carr and John Herman, the
forthcoming Broadway presentation of
"Citizen Hearst." which he will direct, for
next season. Schaffner is currently in New
York rehearsing the fii-st of four TV
di-amatic specials for the Directors Co. of
which he is co-owner with Fielder Cook.
LENSING IN FRANCE—Radley H.
Metzger, right, director of Audubon
Films, with Christian Marquand,
French star who is currently in "The
Longest Day," on the set of "Les
Grandes Chemins," which Marquand
shooting on location in the south of
is
France as his first directorial chore.
Marquand is also the star of Audubon's
current release, "I Spit on Your
Grave" and "Playtime."
BOXOFFICE December 17, 1962 17