Boxoffice-May.31.1971

;
20th-Fox to Shoot Sunday Morning'
In Texas; Film Commission Created
AUSTIN — the lirst triumph for Gov.
Preston Smith's drive to bring more film
production to Texas came Tuesday (25)
when it was announced that "Sunday Morning.''
the story of traveling gospel preacher
on the Texas circuit, will be shot in this
state tor 20th Century-Fox. The news was
cenfirmed by Martin Jurow. audio-visual
head of the company, according to the Austin
Bureau of the Dallas Morning News.
At the same time. Governor Smith created
a 39-member Texas film commission
to campaign for more Texas film production.
The commission is headed by Warren
Skaaren of the governor's staff; commissioners,
according to the Dallas Morning News,
"have been chosen from financial institutions,
film production units, colleges and
universities, the legislature, radio and TV
media." The governor said these commissioners
will be announced when "all have
responded to our invitation."
Smith pointed out the variety of locations
available in the state's boundaries and the
strong commercial film production industry
centered in Houston and Dallas can be combined
to create a thriving, progressive film
industry here.
"Sunday Morning," according to Jurow,
centers on the Rev. Asa Actton Temple,
whose role will be played by veteran Karl
Maiden. The film will be set to the gospel
music of today, including a song by Tom
T. Hall, who wrote "Harper Valley PTA."
The preacher. Jurow said, "realizes the need
to reach younger people and invites two
university students to join him on the circuit."
He described the film as an attempt "to
move toward the family audience we've lost
or at least neglected." Filming should start
in November and picture should be ready
for the public by 1972. Jamieson Film Co.
of Dallas will handle physical production
of the film and the score will be handled
by Word Music in Waco.
National Film Industry, Variety 17
Join in Raymond Willie Testimonial
(Continued from preceding page)
ous illness, at that time, he spent time in
the Hope home, where Bob and Delores
were gracious hosts, and Bob suggested that
Willie stop smoking. Touching again on
reports that he would retire to his farm,
Willie told his friends at the testimonial
that while he wasn't sure what he'd be
doing in retirement, he certainly wouldn't
be sitting on the porch whittling.
Tent 17 took note of Bob Hope's attendance
at the banquet in a special way. John
Rowley, past chief barker of Variety International
and a member of Tent 17, presented
Hope with a check for $1,000 for
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the Bob Hope Scholarship Fund at Southern
Methodist University, an institution which
already has been greatly aided by the
comedian.
Seated on the dais were Joe S. Jackson,
vice-president and general manager, ABC
Interstate, and Mrs. Jackson; Mel Maron,
president, Maron Pictures; John H. Rowley,
vice-president of United Artists Theatre Circuit,
and Mrs. Rowley; H. H. Martin, vicepresident
and general sales manager. Universal
Pictures; Dr. Welthy Honsinger Fisher,
latest recipient of the Variety International
Humanitarian Award; W. E. Mitchell,
president, ABC Interstate, and Mrs. Mitchell;
Leo Greenfield, vice-president and general
sales manager, Warner Bros.; Leon
Blender, vice-president and general sales
manager. American International Pictures;
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Slaughter.
Also seated on the dais: Mr. and Mrs.
Raymond Willie; Bob Hope, a past recipient
of Variety International's Humanitarian
Award; Sam H. Clark, group vice-president.
American Broadcasting Companies; William
O'Donnell, Variety chairman and president,
Cinema Arts Theatres, and Mrs. O'Donnell;
Jim Velde. vice-president and general sales
manager. United Artists Pictures; Harvey
Garland, vice-president, American Broadcasting
Companies, and president, ABC-
Florida State Theatres; Lou Formato, vicepresident
and general manager. Cinema 5
Pictures; Charles E. Dardcn, chief barker,
Tent 17, and Mrs. Darden, and Rev. Msgr.
William J. Smith, administrator, St. Jude's
Chapel, Dallas.
With Fisher and Hope on the dais, it was
the first time that two recipients of the
Local Film Board Bill
Passes Texas Senate
Austin—A bill was approved by the
Texas Senate Thursday (20) to allow
Texas cities and counties to set up local
review boards to screen and rate all
motion pictures before they can be
shown.
Approval of the measure was won by
Sen. Ralph Hall of Rockwall. It would
require theatres to get licenses in areas
which adopt the review procedure. A
permit would be required before a
movie could be shown.
Variety International Humanitarian Award
had ever appeared on a dais together.
Among those noted out in the audience
were out-of-towners Paul Hargette, Columbia
Pictures, Atlanta; Lew Bray, Wesmer
Drive-in. Mercedes; Art Katzen, ABC Interstate,
Houston; John Browning. ABC Interstate,
Galveston; George Watson, the circuit's
San Antonio city manager; Charles
Root of Austin, Howard Yarbrough, Fort
Worth; W. G. Gehring, 20th Century-Fox,
Atlanta; Mrs. Catherine Martini, Martini
Theatres, Galveston; Bobby Wygant,
WBAP-TV, Fort Worth, Jimmy Nienast,
ABC Interstate, Amarillo; Norman Schwartz
and Lynn Krueger. San Antonio; Joseph
Kaufman, star of "Jud," and starlet Susan
Stafford.
Past chief barkers on the committee for
arranging this memorable event were William
O'Donnell, James O. "Skipper" Cherry,
Julius Schepps, John Rowley. "Pappy" Dolsen,
Al Reynolds, Clyde Rembert, Edwin I
Tobolowsky, Phil Isley. Gordon McLendon,
Joe Jackson, Bill Slaughter, Bill Williams
and Walter Morgan.
The banquet originally was scheduled for
the hotel's Embassy Room but reservations,
particularly from out-of-town, began arriving
in such numbers that the committee
switched to the much larger Grand Balltoom.
Perhaps nothing could have been
more fitting for a showman of Willie's stature
than that his Variety testimonial was
such a popular event that it had to be
moved, so to speak, to a "larger theatre.'
'Noon Sunday' Saturation
Under Way in Southwest
HOLLYWOOD — "Noon Sunday," a
Crown-International release, opened territorial
saturated bookings in the Texas and
Oklahoma areas Wednesday (26), according
to Newton P. Jacobs, Crown president.
Jacobs said that the "Noon Sunday"
openings were backed by an extensive newspaper,
radio and TV campaign and personal
appearances by stars of the film.
:;: color
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Gerald Korski,
May 31, 1971