1959-08-22 — Page 13

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, * 1959.

THOMAS WISEMAN

Mr. Box

SYDNEY BOX started his show-

business career by writing plays for amateurs. His detrac- tors would say that he has never lost his amateur status. Certainly he has never been the critics' dar- ling.

"The cumulative punishment he has re- celved from the critics in the course of his career would have been lethal to n

resilient man.

But grinning

cherib,

be

ננת ke!

obese absorbs nil critlelsm and, Indeed,

LD- pears to thrive on it.

This great corn merchant has now re-emerged 45 P major While Sgure in British films. the big companies are cutting doven on production and setting their contrael artists, Box is ex- panding and signing up,

Too small

less

(AND ALL THE OTHER BOXES) sees

the money come rolling in

people are not making pictures and there is a shortage of pro- duct that is the time to make pictures,"

In his new Park Lante affees,

already ton singli to cope with the volume of business of, his rapidly expanding organisation, Box sits behind a large desk and Fans his newly-created empire with unhurried toughness.

He speaks caressingly into the telephone, the vast smile on his vist face becoming vaster as he

He, his wife Muriel, his sister is tougher. netty, and his brother-in-law

Peter Rogers, and their asso. klates have concrete plans to make 30 ims during the next two years.

This is almost as many as the Bank Organization and ABPC put together plan to make In that period.

TV interest

"They asked for 60 per cent." he marmurs tenderly into the phone. talked to them. They'll settle for 25 per cent,"

The Interests of the Box family extend in many diree. "Whet other prople are tions. They have a 10 per cent getting out that is the time to share in the television station at get in," says Box. "When other Newcastle.

SHOW BUSINESS

"Can't lose on that,"

says Betty Box, of course, has an Sydney Box, his knulle becoming even more sure-fre box-office so broad that the rest of his formule: Dirk Bogarde, plus features are practically pushed almost anything equals money. off his face. We inried in January with 290,000 viewers Box, we have made three of "Between ut." anys Sydney now we've got 420.000."

the most successful British

In addition to the 30 feature films: Seventh Vell, Doctor in flims he will make for cineme the House, and Carry on Nurse." release, he has a contract to

The new Box programme produce 120 holt-hour TV filma at a cost of £1,500,000. Another includes a sprinkling of what he Alms television contract

"pretty subjects," is colla huge being negotiated now,

which have an air of class about Wherever and whenever there them. is money to be made one of the Вахея is sure to be ki on. Peter Rogers, husband of Betty Box, produced the highly successful Carry on Sergeant and Carry on Nurse, which he will follow with Curry 011 Teacher, Carry on Constable, and Carry on Duke.

A Box, even one by marriage, doesn't let go when he is on to o good thing.

Roderick Mann Miss Johns becomes an edelweiss

exile

LYNIS JOHNS, I report, is leaving shortly for

Gwitzerland to establish residence there, it is for

course, an almost commonplace move among show- business personalities today,

Lurking among the edelweiss on any fine day you will stumble across such assorted characters as William Holden, Yul Brynner, Richard Burton, Sophia Loren, Peter Ustinov, and Noel Coward,

They are

They are not, you understand, there for their health. there because in Switzerland the income tax is so trifling that they are able, at long last, to keep their heads above, champagne.

Now they are to be joined by married Allen it wouldn't have the husky-voiced, 38-year-old worked out.

Miss Johus,

"Men wully

cate-

At into How, I asked her, did she is," she said "I always think she would find it? Would categorise them, and then I know

the not tire of all that yodell- ing?

where I am."

·

"Where are you?" I asked.

"No," she said "And in uny "You've got a point there," event, I won't have spend too she said. With two divorces much time there.

and a handful of broken engage- me, maybe my ments behind categorising system. needs slight overhauling.

"The thing is, you see, that I've only just cleared up my tax problems after two years und my accountants say

I must start After all,

а

"The trouble is that it's co saving something.

man I've got to support my 13-year dimeult to find the right uld son Gareth (by her first I get suspicious as soon as I husband, Anthony Forward meet a men over 35 who's, un- -now Dirk Bogarde's manager), married. I always wonder why? "And, for all I know, my money-exzrning days may be naurly over.

big

A new picture "Here I am" she said, "vir- tually

"After all, there Jus to be a reason and maybe it's because he's got a secret passion for Meccano or there is a hideous mother living with him."

Some of her natural buoyancy

no better off financially seemed to evaporate at the pros- than when 1 Arst started seting peet of a gloomy future among Now that's ridiculous. As it is, the secret Meccano addicts and I'm soon to start a new pleture their hideous mothers. With o

*

GLYNIE JOHNS

A new life.

hours 50

Longest running WHEN Ben Hur opens W

next London

will be the yeur, it longest-running film ever made three minutes.

Gone With The Wind ran for three hours 41 minutes, and the

Command more recent Ten ments was a mere three hours 39 minutts.

Now beating will be installed for the occasion, I am told,

No beds, though.

Thanks to TV....

HAVE been talking with Jack Clayton,

brilliant

the

director

Ho bought No Love for Johnnie for over £10,000 and will make it with James Mason as the carcerist MP.

He will make The Day of the Trinids, one of the best selence- fiction stories.

the

And he hos nequired rights of two Somerset Maug hem stories which will be com- bined into one sim called The Brothers.

But Sydney Box readily ad- mits that these are his more epeculative productions and that he expects to make his big money from less classy projects.

Rix series

S

His wife, Muriel, starts shortly on the film of Pick-up Girl, re- titled Too Young to Love. Brinn Rix will make a series of Alma for him.

Penelope Hornar

TXYHILE the Rank Organisation has been getting

WH

rid of its contract artists, Sydney Box-who used to work for Rank_himself—has been signing up now talent. Penolape Hornbr, un 18-year-old accountant's daughter, is one of the girls ho han put under contract. Though Mr Box himself intends to retire in fivo yours' time, he has given Mins Hornor asovan-year contract. She got her contract after being spotted by Box in a play at the Lyric, Hammersmith.

}

A play called Book of the even greater commercialism of Month will be ilmed with Toots the big television companies. Lockwood daughter of Margaret, It is perhaps elgnificant that as a juvenile author of a sexy Sydney Box secs No Love for best-seller, The film will be Johnnie as a romantic suceCSS= called Please Turn Over.

story.

The Box family and their associates have £300,000 of their own money invested in their company. They plan to operate for Ave years, after which Sydney will relire to write plays.

believe he has every ex- pectation of retiring as a milion- alre. United in their blatant commercialism, the Box family is in a much better position than anyone who actually loves the cinema to hold out against the

As I read it, it was a bitter, cynical story of a Labour MP who sacrifices his bellels and principles in order to advance himself. At the end of the story ire is appointed Assistant Post- master-General.

When I asked Sydney Box whether he would keep the cynical flavour of the book, he replied: "Cynical? But I don': think it's cynical at all. Him getting that job in the end. it's success...it's romantic."

-London Express Service).

Nice work and Gregson gets it!

JOHN

By Ralph Cooper

London.

HN GREGSON stared at the whisky bottle- and the whisky bottle stared back and I'll wager it winked.

They'd been looking at each other all day, these two, on the set of S.O.S. Pacific at Pinewood. The whisky was destined for John's next scene, but as the day wore on it became clear that the golden gulp would not be reached.

John's lower

Dickie Attenborough. about me?"

What

The publicly man pointed out that John's wife had presented him with a fourth son during

the making of the pleture, but this John felt was not enough.

My wife could run away with the four kids," he Bald thoughtfully, "or my wife could kids. That should be good for a

run away and leave me with the

story." But the publicity, man shook his head.

Then the Joking stopped and

lip jutted and his face took on a gloomy, truculent it was back to work.

air.

"It's only half-full anyway,"

Yours.'

While Eddie Constantine fought the bucking flying boat, Gregson, pilot of the plane, was supposed to be lying injured in

he said glumly, adding belliger and happier than I've been for the rear cabin, ently: "Why can't I have a full boto? Eddie Constantine al- ways gets one--he's got a clause In his contract which says they must fill it up."

But behind his grumble there was a new-born twinkle in his

eye that was good to see,

When Gregson was a contruct star at Pinewood nobody would have called him Happy Laugh- Often le moped Ing Boy. around the studios with a 'lock- lustre eye and all the cares of the world on is shoulders.

I used to feel sorry for him. No need now.

NEW BOUNCE

The new

Gregson comes at whose first major film, you with bounce and enthusiasm. stars he finds tho Rooni at the Top Like other

from long-tan?!

a runaway success everywhere release

in Australia with Robert Mil- sudden movement she produced is tipped to groes nearly two tracts a happy one. He's work-

clum, called

something,"

I reminded her that she would

doubtless be attacked by those

curiously chauvinistie Wile men

For a moment I was worried,

Miraculous

Was

John looking forward to moving to Walton. With 0 fourth son recently arrived, his three-bedroomed house at MIL Hill is getting a little cramped.

RIGHT IDEA

!

"There's nowhere for me to I've got g if I want to think.

an old railway carriage at the of the garden, but it's bottom draughty and damp. If I want to study a script it's usually the garage for me.

the

"Bernie Braden's got the right idea. Bfe's got a study top of the house and absolutely nobody is all wod in. Didn't even show it to us when he took uty round."

John Imughed as his thought of

inventory-making trip. made the tour I ing harder, making better ple- "After we'd

'What are those The Sundowners, a battle of sinister-looking pills million dollars in America.

tures and much thore money asked Bernie: and at Jast I'll be able to save from her purse,

There'n' that mon doing aver Clayton is just back from than ever before.

field?" and he said: "Còm, old Hollywood where ho

For 12 weeks' work on S.0.5, boy. Planting com, beautiful deluged with offers.

Pacific he'll get more than a waving golden corn!' I told him He says: "Room at the Top year's salary on his old contract it looked like they were planting who apparently measured **These," the husked, "are moved that pudiences today will forma....enough to enable him Bungalow and so they patriotism by how much tax one miraculous. I got them from the accept realism and honesty in to move to the Braden beauti- were!", paid, and she said:-

doctor who slimmed the Queen, pictures. And I believe we have ful riverside home at Walton on "Well, you know, I haven't And I've lost 9lb in a week with television to thank for that Thames. Uved here for over three years them.

We ought to get down on our overweight knoco use! thank TV. for freeing It's not just the money," said back from my us from the kind of junk we John. "I think it's because you

know you're out on your OWIN holiday in South Africa so I used to make.

now. I've been in America. "I was terribly And, after all, I was born in when I came South Africa, not here"

Gnly some of the time she went to this doctor and ho "If feature Olmy today are it's all up to you.

•

spent in Amerien, of course, was asked me how much weight I botter than they were it is devoted to making fans. The wanted to lose, I told him and simply because TV is doing the rest, as far as I can make out, here I am-Alb lighter."

junk wo used to do" was given over to getting- I left the slowly engaged-to, and breaking-R-off- with, a long mattering film direc- tor called Allen Reisner..

“I know.....

vanishing

Miss Johns to prepare for her now life among the, edelweiss And I wished her luck in her dearch for an eligible over-30. ·

Though I War she will have

“It was a pretty long engugo, no more success in Switzerland

N.

Sign of a star

The studio Bel, went for silence. The red light glowed, and Eddie Constantine wrestled, once more with the controls of Dio ecippled flying boot, - Y

"When youre under contract The whisky bottle was' still you get paid whether you work there, no nearer, no farther.... for hot. In the end you rather just leering at us.

resent having to go to work at

N American columnist "You got notes telling you: asked Vera Brynner You were seen at such and such

if the could put the date a pince. You appear to be put-

LOVELY DAY

The scene over, the publicly when she first realised ting on weight. "Kindly lake man, approached, and GrogrÓÍS: So you throw the altacked him cheerfully, “When that her brother, Yu, Borno off.*

ment, Misa Johns conceded. than who did over here. After had become a star, Mak note on the fire and my what are you: going to do something *Nearly two years. But then, bil, they may not play with. Yea she is wien be the blazes you and so gut erat for me? he demanded. **- You see, I wasn't site-o kept Meocand there, but they we all stopped odling me Six and have another fattening platfreelyek, Pick Angelland stailing the marriage dabe, molt got a thing about those writhed, windled calling me Darung

+(Londen: AppRRIS #STYTOP3,

- was fortunate. I did. ' £2 =4'à 'cuckoo clocks,

"But bów, Bhoulia nobody Eva Barton have had, headlines telling me not to, l'an Allen wyer their children, and so hap

"Had a lovely day yesterday," he said, "lying with my head in! Plor Angell's lap, listening to the others fluffing their lines. All I had to do was a groan or two.

"But

tomorrow! Tomorrow they revive me. I stagger Into the cock-pit, take swig from that-bottle, take over the con- trols and land the plane.

"It's Miss Bartok's Angera down my throat at nine o'clock morrow Denbig. That's a nke thought to take home with you. Isn't 17"

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