You Read It First In Vintage Paparazzi

Our Correspondents Report:

Ceylon: Bill Holden, who is here making “Bridge On The River Kwai” and recently was voted Number One Man at the boxoffice, received a wire from John Wayne, former boxoffice king, stating simply, “You sneak!”

Bill who’s on location in a camp in the jungle of Kitulgala, helped the cast and crew get over their “jungle fever” by thinking up all sorts of projects to get their minds off the heat: He set off firecrackers one evening after work, had some “fire balloons” made, got a pet monkey and two parrots which were named as mascots, and learned to play some tom-toms made by the Singhalese. Bill’s partner in crime was Jack Hawkins, his co-star in the picture, and his lovely wife Ardis sat by and watched. The Holden-Hawkins Act was a self-appointed morale team, designed to keep up the spirits of the all-British crew, away from their homes and their wives for much too long.

Paris: Marisa Pavan Aumont sends her original and sketches for dresses to her mother, who expects to have them made up in Hollywood and will sell them in a dress shop she’s opening in Beverly Hills. Mrs. Pierangeli will name the dress shop after her two famous daughters. P. S.: Marisa designed all her own maternity clothes. It’s true: Elvis Presley’s record are all the rage in Russia. Described as the latest “nonsocialist-realist” craze, Presley records, transferred from bootleg U. S. discs to discarded hospital X-ray plates, are selling for about $12.50 each in Russian rubles. “Hound Dog” cleaning up, but no royalties for El.

Hollywood: Likes and dislikes—Hollywood is reading Bosley Crowther’s “The Lion’s Share,” the well-researched and well-written history of Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer. Martindale’s and Marion Hunter, where the stars shop for their reading material, report they can’t keep it in stock. Crowther, motion picture critic of the “New York Times,” is tops in his field. But they don’t like “Too Much, Too Soon,” the Diana Barrymore “confessional” written in collaboration with Gerold Frank. Gene Fowler wants to retitle it “Too Much, Too Late—Too Bad,” and Hedda Hopper suggests “Long Day’s Journey Into Oblivion.” Perhaps it’s all because it’s too much, too close to home. . . . At Raf’s Record Bar in Beverly Hills, where the stars buy their discs, three favorites are reported: Sinatra, Belafonte and Nat “King” Cole in that order. Biggest sellers are: Sinatra’s “An Evening With You”, Belafonte’s calypsos (in preference to “An Evening With Belafonte”) and anything of Cole’s. Also big is the Eydie Gorme album, the one in which she jets into the vocal stratosphere with “I’ll Take Romance.” Teenagers “dig” Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up,” while their moms are buying the same disc for the other side, “That’s Where Your Heartache Begins.” . . . Kim Novak does her record buying in flamenco and show tune albums.

Big Scenes and Body-Building: The big man in Jayne Mansfield’s life, Mickey Hargitay, has a small role in her next movie, “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?” They never appear in a scene together—just carry on a trans-continental feud via television. In the movie (which turns out to be a good-natured spoof of television in the screen version) he loses her to someone else. In real life, however, they’ve been inseparable, with Mickey giving her an extensive course in body-building in their after-hours workouts together. Jayne says it’s done wonders for toning up her muscles—and besides, their “routine” comes in handy at parties and premieres. According to reports, they expect to be married soon. Incidentally Jayne, who was blasted by the press for the unladylike way she acted at Sophia Loren’s cocktail party given by 20th (when she stood behind Sophia in a gown cut down to there and postured and posed till the photographers got their flash bulbs ready) seems chastened by the experience. She hasn’t been at a party given for Sophia since.

Things We Wonder About: We wonder what plans Mike Wilding is making for the future, now that his marriage to Liz is over. Will he return to England, to resume the career he gave up for Liz? . . . It must be quite a job for Debra Paget to manage “protection” for her crystal-studded Cadillac. How does she do it? She made the mistake, just once, of leaving it parked in the CBS parking lot for an afternoon, and returned to find that memento-seekers had pried off the crystals on one side of the car. It will take $500 to replace them. . . . What is Farley Granger doing these days? Remember him? . . . Do Debbie and Eddie ever play their “How I Love You Pretty Baby” for the benefit of Carrie Frances?

Music at Midnight: Latest of the stars to turn vocalist for the benefit of the juke boxes is Bob Wagner, whose “So Young” and “Almost Eighteen” were put on wax at an all-night music session recently. Bob was on a personal appearance tour and had no other time available, and Liberty wanted the recording cut immediately, so Bob arranged to get to the studio at midnight and worked straight through till 8:00 a.m. Natalie Wood, who’d been with him earlier in the evening for the opening of a drive-in theatre in San Diego, was there to keep him company and to ply him with coffee when things got dull—so the whole thing turned out to be as much fun as work can ever be! 

Paris Landing: Anita Ekberg blew into Paris the same day as the Queen of England. which rather took the wind out of Anita’s sails but was a great relief to husband Anthony Steel. After posing for the tens of photographers who crowded around her. Anita demurely covered her low-w-w cut dress with a chiffon scarf. Anita is unhappy with the habit newspapermen have of putting her measurements next to her photograph. “It’s like putting a person’s bank account next to his name,” she says. And Anthony Steel asked reporters to deny the story that she was pregnant. adding. “My wife is an actress. vou know. She doesn’t need that kind of publicity.”

The Volcano Gone Quiet? We thought Shelley Winters had changed—that for a former volcano she had certainly become both cooperative and quiet in offering to accompany her fiancé Anthony Franciosa on his tour to plug “Hatful of Rain.” even though she had been by-passed for the movie version. And then Shelley reverted to type! Shelley and Tony were on their way to bid at an auction when a photographer tried to take their picture. Shelley whispered that she wasn’t wearing any lipstick. Tony objected to the camera and a free- for-all ensued. After the damage had been done. Tony issued an apology. offered to pay for the camera and Shelley (we hope!) went home to put on some make-up. Incidentally. Tony’s a free man, now that his divorce from his former wife is final. All of which should mean that he and Shelley will be getting married soon—but so far, they haven’t set the date.

Clamor About Glamour: The most sought after role in town is that of “Jean Harlow.” whose life story Producer Jerry Wald is readying for the screen. Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Kim Novak and Carroll Baker are among those bidding for it. Some bidding! . . . Mamie Van Doren will wear a “movable” gown in Paramount’s “Teacher’s Pet.” Edith Head created it. The dress contains thousands of crystal drops on small strings. which move all the time. whether Mamie does or not—and Mamie does, too. . . . Don Loper. one of the colony’s better-known “gowndoliers” says: “The uncovered look has had it. The gals are going for more tasteful creations.” Chiffon dresses are very much in vogue and Don’s favored colors this season are his “Pink Mink” and “African Orange.” He’s doing a big business, too, in leather sports coats to match your sports car. Who has that kind of dough? . . . Best figure in Hollywood? Edith Head, who’s dressed most of them and received better than a half-dozen Oscars for doing it, says Liliane Montevecchi has one of the best she’s ever seen. Liliane will have an all-black wardrobe to show it off in “Sad Sack.”

Favorites of the Film Set: Hollywood has its television heroes over which the gals swoon as avidly as film fans swoon over them. You should see them when Jim (“Gunsmoke”) Arness, Hugh (Wyatt Earp) O’Brian and Jock (“Range Rider”) Mahoney walk into the room at a party. They’re their stars.

Heroes of the Younger Set: James MacArthur, Helen Hayes’ talented boy, a solid click in his first RKO film, “The Young Stranger,” may not make another film until the summer of 1958. A student at Harvard, he is only available for movie work during the summer months. He turned down a role in “Peyton Place” this summer and RKO passed up its option on his services because they had no property for him. So, instead of appearing before the cameras this sum- mer, he’ll probably hop a freighter to Europe.

Want to start a Tommy Sands Fan Club? Tommy already has 1,000 clubs going for him, bringing in over 15.000 pieces of mail a week. He’s a fan too—of Elvis Presley. They worked together on the Colonel Tom Parker circuit throughout the South. Nice kid. Should do big things picture-wise under Executive Producer Buddy Adler’s guidance at 20th-Fox.

Personal Triumph: Why make pictures? Judy Garland will earn more from her personal appearances at the Flamingo (Las Vegas). the Dallas State Fair, and the Greek Theater (Los Angeles) this summer than she ever did in a full year of movie-making.

Hubby Sid Luft is negotiating for a date in London, and our French correspondent reports that “All Paris is waiting with fervent anticipation for Judy Garland’s appearance at the Olympia in September. As soon as it was announced. the orders started pouring in.”

Coming Soon: Look for Ernest Borgnine in the “Life of Pancho Villa.” He’s planning to make it in Mexico this fall with his partner, Sam Weiler. With the aid of a mustache. the resemblance is remarkable. . . . Why was Ann Blyth cast as “Helen Morgan”? Because. me made the best test of the eighteen lensed for the part. Director Mike Curtiz said her tests “were just plain wonderful.” And Jack Warner, who made the picture, believes she’s going to add the biggest laurel of all to her career. Ann’s that good John Mitchum is starting to give his big (and better known) brother. Robert. a run for films. His latest for Columbia will be “The Mad Ball.” with Jack Lemmon. . . . If you ask Dick Powell. and we did. Tami Conner, recently signed by 20th Century-Fox, will be a big star. All she needs is the right role. Well. Dick. how about finding it for her?

International Love Affair: Etchika Choureau, the girl with the name that sounds like a sneeze and a figure that looks like a whistle (and a personality that captured Tab Hunter’s heart) is back in town again making “Darby’s Rangers” for Warners’. The lovely twenty-three-year-old French starred in 15 French, Italian and German pictures States, met Tab Hunter while they were making “Lafayette Escadrille” together. He asked her to Gary Cooper’s cocktail party one day after work, she accepted. and that started that. As Etchika put it. their romance took place in a movie by day. and at the movies at night. Tab. who’s usually adept at parrying questions about love, came right out in print recently and admitted he was real “gone” on the girl. It was the first time he’d made such an admission. and his fans think it’s great. What does Etchika think? “Ees very nice. But he nevair tell me!” Etchika does admit. however. that Tab sent her a pressing of “Young Love” the minute it was released and that they corresponded while she was in Paris. Asked about marriage. Etchika replies that she hasn’t considered staying here permanently—and besides. nobody’s asked her to yet. For the record. Etchika’s tiny, demure and gentle. She has a petite figure (34, 22½, 34) green eyes ind long blond wavy hair. Though she English better than she speaks it, she’s managed to pick up some good American slang. She likes thinks Tab is “a veree nice guy” and anyone who does her a favor is “a leeving doll.”

Invitation to a Memory: A party to remember will be the one the American Export Lines tosses this month (July) aboard the Constitution to launch 20th Century-Fox’s “An Affair to Remember.” Very swank. with food being flown in from all over the globe. And, it’ll be a picture to remember, too, as Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant are at their best. Believe me, it’s great.

Champagne Props: “The Mad Ball,” starring Jack Lemmon and Kathy Grant, which is now being filmed at Columbia, promises to be one of the funniest comedies of the year. The plot centers around the efforts of some G.I.’s in France to throw a strictly-against-the-rules party for the officer nurses. Director Dick Quine had the unique idea that the mad ball scene, which climaxes the movie, should be filmed at night to get the actors in the party spirit. And speaking of spirits. Roger Smith, who has a featured role, let me in on a secret. Not all of the drinks being slipped to him by the prop man were the usual colored water. About every third take, the bubbles in the champagne were the real thing. No wonder Jack Lemmon, Mickey Rooney and Arthur O’Connel were cooperative in the retakes. Undoubtedly, this is the kind of realism in film-making they would like more of.

THE END

 

It is a quote. PHOTOPLAY MAGAZINE JULY 1957