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Q Increased Production Seen izandependent Setups Lila. wersGarGa-sOCh Ss ESSEX omar: A significant Hollywood development which can fill the gap created by - reduced major studio activity, in the opinion of informed industry observers,. is the growing trend among top start to team up with experienced production executives in establishing indie units designed for filming of properties both with and without the star who heads the company. Bankers and Wallstreet- ers interested in movie business are ” taking special note of this develop- ment, with chief interest being sh in the operations of Essex Productichs ihe Frank Sinatra company with How. Star-&-Producer ~ Team New trend (Continued from Page 1) “The Hollywood Reporter" made in association with George Axel- rod and john Frankenheimer, just re- cently released and doing very well, and “Come Blow Your Horn,’’ pro- duced in conjunction with Bud Yorkin and Norman Lear, with sneak previews over the weekend in Oakland and Palo Alto being accorded a sensational te ception. ‘Horn’ is a Paramount re\ lease: the other three are United Art- ists, Particular interest in these Essex projects is centered on the fact that the four pictures combined—all made here and brought in on schedule—<cost only a combined total of about $10,000,- O00: a little over $800,006 for “X-15" and about $3,000,000 apiece average for the other three, thus providing ample profit assurance. Also regarded as holding great prom- ise are Essex's next two ventures, both musicals, with no distribution deals set yet: “The New Yorkers,” in which Sinatra will appear with Gene Kelly, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Ir. and loey Bishop, and “Robin and the 7 Hoods,” with Sinatra, Martin, Davis and Bishop. Sinatra's activities are becoming in- creasingly diversified within the enter- tainment field. His Reprise Records al- ready js a formidable disc firm, and he 4a5 interests in radio stations, plus his sional nitery and TV stints. Essex extends production consultation ices to other creative groups, espe- writers, directors and producers are new to motion pictures. This includes services of other Essex per- ard W. Koch as v-p and executive pro- ducer. ssex, in its two-year existence, has mawe four pictures——*X-15,” a timely = + top| shrine! as well as Koch, who has had extensive experience in all phases of film-making, including pre-production planning, budgeting, casting and as a producer and director, both major stu- dio and independent. Essex already has provided various services to “Road to Hong Kong’ and “The Caretakers,” UA releases, and the “‘Ben Casey" TV series pilot for Bing Crosby Produc- tions, and possibly will assist on “Lady in the Cage,” upcoming Luther Davis production for Continental. [n some cases, these outside projects may even interest Essex as a participant. ; As comparable operations in the Essex line—cambination of showman- star and knowledgeable producer to handle executive and administrative details——there is the highly successful Jerry Lewis Productions, with Ernest D. Glucksman as producer, with a solid string of boxoffice hits. Darts Day and Martin Melcher afso are among the most active and successful combina- tions of this type, while Tony Curtis has teamed up with Stan Marguties- and Kirk Douglas has Edward Lewis. “PlbOSE alas hoit JAN 15 1963 Orgs Jeek 243 Me we OFsAT LOM GCNTAlNaD SSSR. SHILA os 8S subject with only fair boxoffice res#its; ‘Sergeants 3,"" a com proted a worldwide boxoffice », buster; “The Manchurian Candida’ iContinued on Page 13} Burt Lancaster has done very well.with | Harold Hecht, and Marlon -Brgndo's company, with Brando $r. at the Head, also makes pictures. with.or, wi the star. A number of bther-top’ office names likewlse ‘are explorii idea, with the “main shirdle cases being to find -the ‘right ‘quali : producer with whom .the star can work: harmoniously. Talent. agency execa~. tives state the producer shortage is'&s acute as any shortage. inthe produc~- tion field and that quite « few more of their star clients, “sortie of whom: al- ready have their own comparties, would team up with the right productiori ex*: ecutive if one could -be foundagse 5, There .is quite general “agrpement,- however, especially.-among’ the ager-_ cies, that this is one of the- healthiest: trends the industiy Bas ienenced I years, They view dt not only as astighusd lant to production buf’ alae. ska Detter” chance for’stars to-get good proge : —an important: factoring? realization that a 3 ¢ tion o' stars today if the story is weak: hare ns