Oct. 8, 1964 - Elaborate preparations are being made in Hollywood for the release of two of the most expensive and widely heralded movies in Hollywood’s extravagant history: “My Fair Lady,” a $17 million project, and “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” whose cost exceeds $20 million.
Warner Brothers had to spend an additional $5.5 million just to buy the movie rights to “My Fair Lady” — the highest price ever paid for a stage production. The film version will include many performers from the original cast, including Rex Harrison and Stanley Holloway, but it will star Audrey Hepburn in the role created by Julie Andrews.
In view of this investment, Warner Brothers is naturally trying to make as big a splash as possible with its opening later this month. The studio has announced that Princess Grace of Monaco and the Duchess of Windsor will serve as honorary chairmen of the world premiere Oct. 21 at the Criterion Theater in New York. Warner Brothers says it will spend more than $1.5 million on ads heralding the opening of “My Fair Lady.”
George Stevens, producer-director of “The Greatest Story,” has now decided to delay his premiere from December until after the first of the year. A key reason, trade observers believe, is that Stevens was not happy about sharing the limelight with “My Fair Lady” or sharing possible Academy Awards.
Another cause of the delay is Stevens’ desire that his film be shown in three-lens Cinerama rather than the single-lens projection process originally planned. Stevens reportedly has been dissatisfied with the single-lens process.
Stevens, a painstaking director, has set something of a record for longevity with “The Greatest Story.” Production started in October 1962 and, two years later, the director is still dubbing and editing.
The picture, which stars John Wayne, Charlton Heston, and Max Von Sydow as Jesus, originally was scheduled to be distributed by 20th Century-Fox, but United Artists took over the project when Stevens and Fox could not agree on the budget. The picture at present runs longer than 3½ hours.
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