My father was in the Victorian town of Dunnolly recently, and found a second-hand shop to browse. It had a decent collection of film memorabilia, and so he picked me up a copy of an old movie magazine called New Screen News, whose ancient copyright I am no doubt about to infringe upon with gusto.

I noticed the edition was dated 11 September 1964, and we were only weeks away from the issue’s 50th anniversary. And who can resist a nice, round 50th? Nobody, that’s who. So, for the hell of it, I decided to scan the whole thing in so you could read what every other film fan in Australia was reading exactly fifty years ago today.

A few notes:

• What was the film Kim Novak and Marcello Mastroianni were going to star in together? Whatever it was, it never eventuated. Or if it did, it starred two other actors. I can’t find anything in either filmography that might have starred the other, so perhaps the project was abandoned. The closest I can find is Godard’s Contempt: Godard initially wanted Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak, and producer Carlo Ponti wanted Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. But Contempt, which ultimately starred none of the above, was released a year before this magazine even came out.
• How the hell have I missed What a Way To Go! advertised on the back? That cast! That director/producer/writers/choreographer!
• To Mrs R Denny of Childers, Queensland (whom I did make a very mild attempt to track down): the word you were looking for was “Chase”. So close!
• Yul Brynner’s fan letter!
• Bridget Bardot’s comeback to that cop!
• The Battle of the Beards!