Boxoffice-October.03.1966

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NEWS AND VIEWS OF THE PRODUCTION CENTER
iHoltynood Office— 171-i Ivor St., Room 205. Phone: HO 5-1186)
Warner Bros. Gets Rights
To Film 'Finian's Rainbow'
HOl.L'* WOOD — "Finian's Rainbow,"
the famed musical hit by E. Y. "Yip" Marburg
and Fred Saidy. has been acquired b\
Warner Bros, after 19 years of negotiations
by various motion picture studios seeking
the property, announces Jack L. Warner,
president. Filming will begin in April at the
Warner Studios in Burbank.
Fred .Astaire is set to star as Finian.
Strong supporting stars are being sought for
the role of the leprechaun, the dancing part
i>f Susan the Silent and for that of Finian's
daughter Sharon which made Ella Logan a
star on Broadway.
Joseph Landon will produce the film and
will collaborate with authors Harburg and
Saidy on the screenplay. Composer Burton
Lane will adapt his musical score for the
screen, including "How Are Things in Glocca
Morra?"
The Broadway production played more
than 600 standing-room-only performances
following its opening in 1947, establishing a
boxoffice record broken only by "My Fair
Lady." Warner also scored a coup in purchasing
the latter play and subsequently produced
it for the screen as one of the studio's
top grossers.
Stars, Industryites Plan
To Attend 'Hawaii' Bow
HOLLYWOOD—.Scores of stars,
industry
and business notables will attend the West
Coast premiere of "Hawaii" Wednesday
(12) at the Egyptian Theatre here.
Sponsored by the Women's Guild of
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the charit>
premiere has passed the .SSO.OOO mark in
ticket sales. The opening appears certain of
attaining the goal of $110,000 set by the
guild to support its patient care programs
and endowment fund at the medical center.
Among the first to purchase tickets to
the black-tie affair, which will be followed by
a supper part\ in the Beverly Hilton Hotel,
were Dean Martin, Lucille Ball, Janet Leigh,
Joey Bishop, Ray Stark, Kirk Douglas, Debbie
Reynolds, Harry Karl. Tom May, Frank
Sinatra, Rosalind Russell. Polly Bergen,
Greer Garson, Mike Frankovich. George
Burns. Lew Wasserman. Eugene Klein,
Pandro Berman, Johnny Green. George
Cukor, William Goetz, Jean Louis, Bill\
Wilder. Jerome Ohrbach and Jonathan
Winters,
All Publicity Media Aid
S. Calif. Movie Month
LOS ANGELES—Veteran industry observers
are taking Southern California's
National Movie
Month campaign as
one of the most ambitious
and inclusive
c\er staged here.
the crowded
October schedule
of heefed-up releases
w.is a City Hall ceremony
Wednesday
(Sept. 2S), with May-
^ ... ^ .. IT ^i'"i Yortv pro-
Robert W. Selig
ci^in^ing National
Movie Month in the presence of Debbie
Reynolds and Rock Hudson, named by the
regional committee to represent all segments
of the industry.
Before departing for New York to attend
the National .Ass'n of Theatre Owners con-
FIIIE PI BLK ISr — Sam Sicgel,
left, well-known public relations and
puhliclly man, was honored at a
lunche(m by the San Franci.sco Variety
Club, press, radio and television. The
day was declared "Sanimv Siegel Day"
to honor "the little man with a big
heart." .Slu Klein of Columbia, rijjhl,
is shown holding a scroll of appreciation
signed by hundreds of Siegel's
friends. Klein also presented a number
of gifts to Siegel.
vention, regional chairman Robert W.
Selig lauded the efforts of a dozen special
groups which have harnessed up newspapers,
radio, television, billboards and most other
media for cost-free promotional support.
Selig said SI .OOO.OOO four-color tabloids,
heralding the 13 pictures in October release,
are going into Southern California homes,
mostly via "slip-sheeting" arrangements
made by exhibitor teams with daily and
weekly newspapers. The Los Angeles Times
and Hearst Herald-Fxaminer both will feature
this week full-page National Movie
Month spreads as their gestures of support.
Likewise, 15 regional newspapers also will
carry the full-page art and copy, many in
addition to the four-color tabloid.
For the past three weeks. ci>chairman
Bruce C. Corwin has set up exhibitor "selling
sessions" with the studios. Each National
Movie Month picture was screened
and then diagnosed as to promotional, advertising
and exploitational approaches. Corwin
said attendance was "exceptional." Over 100
theatre owners and managers attended each
meeting.
The Southern California committee also
drew in advertising agency representatives
of film companies. This "team" lined up 50
gratis 24-sheet boards, over 300 free radio
spots and numerous TV shows. Meanwhile,
studio ad-pub toppers are having their
"planters" hit columnists, arrange interviews
and tie in every other source of promotion,
.Selig said. Even the Dtxigers" Walter O'Malley
cooperated during the crucial Pittsburgh
series by flashing repeatedly a salute to National
Movie Month. Mervyn LeRoy. who
arranged the tie-up, says the stunt will be repeated
if the Los Angeles team makes the
World Series.
Mex. Festival Honors Guest
HOI 1 > WOOD— Ira I urstenberg. luiropean
princess and society celebrity, who debuts
as a film star in United Artists' upcoming
"Matchless." is the first film personality
to be set as a guest of honor at the November
Mexican Film Festival to be held in
Acapulco. The actress will stop off in New
York and Hollywood for promotional appearances
in conjunction with the film.
BOXOFFICE October 3, 1966 W-1