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1963 Film Press

By A. Migdail

A history of the Boyd (later Sameric) Theatre. Philadelphia theatres, A-Z : a comprehensive, descriptive record of 813 theatres constructed since 1724 / Irvin R. Glazer.

Glazer, Irvin R. “Philadelphia Theatres, A-Z.” New York, Westport, CT, London. Greenwood Press: 1986. p. 70-71

According to Glazer, the Boyd was the “only Art Deco first-run moving picture theatre erected in the city” of Philadelphia. In 1963, the Boyd underwent a transition from the three-projector Cinerama system to a single-projector system, though Glazer only mentions the three projection booths being installed. He also mentions, interestingly, that “when Cinerama product was no longer available, the Boyd had a brief period of porno.” By A. Migdail

Advertisements for Philadelphia Theaters. Philadelphia Inquirer.

Philadelphia Inquirer. 2 Jan 1963: 17
Philadelphia Inquirer. 4 Jan 1963: 21
Philadelphia Inquirer. 9 Jan 1963: 17

These advertisements from the Philadelphia Inquirer show the kinds of movies that the theaters in Philadelphia were playing in 1963. The Viking seems to have been a more family-oriented theater, showing a lot of Disney movies (the Castaways, the Sword and the Stone, etc.) Obviously, “Daniella By Night” was being shown in art theaters, of which there were at least a few in Philadelphia. Notice the emphasis on “Cinerama” in the advertisement for the Boyd’s “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm.” The Boyd Theater was, in fact, well known for being Philadelphia’s Cinerama theater though, in December of 1963, the Boyd switched from the three-projector Cinerama technique to the single-projector “70mm Cinerama.” (see also the review of “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad World”). By A. Migdail

Alpert, Hollis. Cinema Jolted By Natural Approach of French New Wave. Philadelphia Inquirer: Amusements and the Arts. 13 Dec. 1963: 1, 3.

Demonstrates the fact that Philadelphia was, to some extent, on the cinematic cutting-edge during the 1960’s. Of course, the bulk of the movies advertised in the Inquirer seem to be the standard big-budget Hollywood fare, but there were also theaters, like the Bryn Mawr, that were up-to-speed on world cinema movements. The fact that this article was included in the “Amusements and the Arts” section is proof that there was interested in this type of film in Philadelphia. By A. Migdail

Crowther, Bosley. Screen: David and Lisa. The New York Times. 27 Dec 1962: 5.

An early review of David and Lisa, made in Philadelphia, from the New York Times (the film was released in New York before its wide release.) Crowther seems to praise the acting in the film while being wary of the direction. The article seems to be missing a piece at the end. By A. Migdail

David and Lisa (1962)

IMDB entry for David and Lisa. By A. Migdail

David and Lisa Advertisement. Philadelphia Inquirer. 11 Dec. 1963: 48.

It’s interesting that David and Lisa, released in New York in December of 1962, is being advertised in Philadelphia—the city in which it was filmed—almost a year later, in December of 1963—8 months after the film failed to win an Academy Award. And on a double-bill, no less. It’s very likely that this is a second-run for the film. By A. Migdail

Hatch, Robert. Films. The Nation. 9 March 1963: 216.

David and Lisa is a film that was made in Philadelphia in 1962 for $20,000 (see also: Philadelphia Inquirer-“Prize Film Uses Philadelphia Locale) and was nominated for 2 Academy Awards. This is a review of the film from The Nation magazine, suggesting that the film confusingly “straddle[s] fiction and documentation.” By A. Migdail

Internet Archive: Miracle on the Delaware promotional film.

A 1955 promotional film for the Delaware Valley area made by the WPTZ motion picture unit. An interesting film in and of itself, Miracle On the Delaware briefly features the Boyd Theater (then generally known as Philadelphia’s Cinerama Theater) in 1955. By A. Migdail

It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Ad. Philadelphia Inquirer. 19 Dec. 1963: 19.

It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World was the first movie to play at the Boyd Theater after the removal of the three-lens Cinerama system and its replacement by the single-lens 70mm Cinerama system. Notice that the de-emphasis of the 'Cinerama' from earlier Boyd advertisements.; By A. Migdail

It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world / MGM Studios Inc. ; Stanley Kramer presents a United Artists release ; story and screenplay by William & Tania Rose ; produced and directed by Stanley Kramer.

VCat entry for "It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world". By A. Migdail

Kauffman, Stanley. Kingdoms of the Mind. The New Republic. 5 Jan. 1963: 19-20.

A review from January 5 issue of The New Republic Magazine. Evidence of David and Lisa’s national critical acclaim as the best of the “low-budget independent production[s].” By A. Migdail

Murdock, Henry T. Best Ten movies are picked. Philadelphia Inquirer. 29 Dec. 1963: 11, 14.

This is a list of the Philadelphia Inquirer’s top ten movies of 1963. It includes David and Lisa, shot in Philadelphia, in the “heart-interest” category, placing it alongside such classics as Lilies of the Field, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Escape, Long Day’s Journey into Night and Fellini’s 8 ½. By A. Migdail

Murdock, Henry T. Mad World Turns On Laugh Axis. Philadelphia Inquirer. 20 Dec. 1963: 23.

It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World was the first movie to play at the Boyd Theater after the removal of the three-lens Cinerama system and its replacement by the single-lens 70mm Cinerama system. This change is mentioned at the end of the article under the heading “New Technique.” By A. Migdail

Murdock, Henry T. Modest Elvis Shows Latin Class. Philadelphia Inquirer. 6 Dec. 1963: 20.

This review of “Fun in Acapulco” starring Elvis is a perfect reminder that it wasn’t all—or even mostly—art-house movies that played in Philadelphia in 1963 (notice, however, the advertisement for Fellini’s 8 ½ in the lower right-hand corner of the review.) It is also a clue as to the character of the Randolph theater, as opposed to, for instance, the Boyd (which was playing exclusively “Cinerama”-type blockbusters at the time) or the Bryn Mawr Theater, which tended to show artsier, foreign films. By A. Migdail

Murdock, Henry T. Thrills, Laughs Are Balanced In Movie Fare. Philadelphia Inquirer. 22 Dec. 1963: 11, 15.

This is an article from the Philadelphia Inquirer briefly reviewing the films playing at each of the major Philadelphia theaters during the Christmas season, from “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” at the Boyd to “Kings of the Sun” at the Goldman. It is interesting to note that, in 1963, theaters made a somewhat long-term commitment to an individual movie (whereas today, most theaters play more than one film) so that the theaters in the article are often listed before the film that is playing. By A. Migdail

Parsons, Louella and Herb Stein. Best of Hollywood. Philadelphia Inquirer. 5 Jan. 1963: 6

See also:
Stein, Herb and Louella Parsons. Best of Hollywood. Philadelphia Inquirer, 12 Jan. 1963: 6
Parsons, Louella and Joe Hyams. Best of Hollywood. Philaelphia Inquirer, 8 Jan. 1963: 10

The “best of hollywood” column was a staple in the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1963, usually running a few times each week. Herb Stein and Louella Parsons were two of the more regular contributors, though there were others, including Joe Hyams. These three columns are fairly typical: Gossip ranging from on-set news to off-set disputes to Marlon Brando attending his first movie premiere (not in Philadelphia, sadly.) These columns represent a fair portion of the film news that Philadelphia newspaper readers (at least, readers of the Inquirer) received in 1963—actual film reviews were more rare. By A. Migdail

Thomas, Bob. Anne Bancroft, Greg Peck, Lawrence Awarded Oscars. Philadelphia Inquirer. 9 Apr Dec. 1963: 1, 30.

An article from the Philadelphia Inquirer listing the winners of the 1963 Academy Awards. David and Lisa was nominated for two Oscars (for best director and best adapted screenplay) but lost in the director category to David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia and in the adapted screenplay category to To Kill A Mockingbird. By A. Migdail

Trombley, William. Screen: Small-budget triumph: David and Lisa. The Saturday Evening Post. 16 March 1963: 56-60.

Both an extremely positive review and an article detailing the various obstacles to production for David and Lisa, the “small-budget triumph.” One of the more interesting revelations in the article is that $100,000 of the $200,000 budget came from a Philadelphian industrial-movie producer who wanted the script changed to be more “sexual.” By A. Migdail

Wilson, Barbara, L. Prize Film Used Phila. Locale. Philadelphia Inquirer, Amusements and the Arts. 13 Jan. 1963: 1, 8

Wilson describes Frank Perry produced and directed the film David and Lisa for just $200,000 and filmed it in various locations in around Philadelphia, including the Agnes Irwin school in Wynnewood, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Haverford Hotel. David and Perry, when the article is written, has won the “best first work by a director award” at the Venice Film Festival and the best actor, for Keir Dullea, and best actress, for Janet Margolin, awards at the San Francisco Film Festival. By A. Migdail