Cinema: In the Flesh

Far from Hollywood, two dozen movie stars were hard at work last week at a booming cinema sideline: the personal-appearance tour. Braving the clothes-tugging of fans and the baying of autograph hounds, seven- stars had journeyed to London to show themselves at this week's Royal Film Performance. O'nce disdained as a last resort of the screen's has-beens, personal appearances have grown into a multi-million-dollar studio campaign to pep up a sluggish box office. Hollywood has learned that a star in the flesh can fatten a cinemansion's receipts by as much as 40%.

Vaudeville & Rodeo. Setting the touring pace is Bob Hope,...

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