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✅ THE CHINA MAIL, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1957.

DON IDDON reports on the NEW HOLLYWOOD

is

1957...the pen

mightier than the star

NIVEN

more offers than he can handle.

GRANT

.on top again at

$200,000 a film.

STANWYCK

romance is out.

Hollywood, Tuesday.

ANNOUNCING the new Hollywood. Sure of itself- well, almost-confident of the future (practically), and dedicated now to art, that is, as long as art makes money.

And the astonishing discovery, after 50 years of movie-making, is that art creative writing with emphasis on plot and action and talented, sometimes inspired, performances by unavowed names

is paying off at the box office.

This has been drummed into me by the producers and the writers ever since I arrived here.

The alors themselves have not been so enthu- siastic. Why should they be? The now deal in Hollywood makes them less important and the writers more important.

'I said to this kid Novak: "Look you're not Monroe." Then wo

went over hor voice, which was awful.'

A few years ago writers of were put in the corner the room and the back of mass the restaurant. Their sala- ries were a tenth of what the stars goto

production huge sound stages at several studios concentrating

on

I saw concerned about

was

what

To, the producers who

kept empty Louella Parsons or Hedda Hop- telling me the story's the thing the Los Angeles not the star, 1 gold: "What and is per sald in

papers. Today he and the about this girl Novak?" quality. others realise

-what is that

glant. British written in the newspapers, and their syndicates all over the world, might make

Or so it says. All that has changed.

One of the most intelli- One of Hollywood's most successful producers, Jerry gent men in Hollywood and

Elin Wald, says: "We have be- Broadway, come adult.

out puts it simply:

We are

Kazan, "To com- of the ready-to-wear, off- pete with television you've the-hanger stuff. We are got to make something the in tailor-mades now. public can't see on TV

home."

"You can't just tell

'Go write some- writer,

thing about a typhoon

80

ut

That is what Hollywood a doing, or at least thinks Ris

we can put Bill Holden in doing. And it seems to be pay- it. The 'writer has to feel ing off. what he is doing."

Dead era

IT is ironical that, just

when Hollywood look

ed like diving into a de- pression under the threat of television und a yawning the public, along writer, the director of in- dividuality, the creator Fave it.

comeg

to

Carroll Baker and joinna Wood ward reap the benefit of Hollywood's soft-pedal on big names.

Producer Wald explains it this way: "We gave her the build-up just as Meroe was given the build-up. They both had some- thing-magnetism, sex, Agure, chenn: 'but

WAN the build-up essential. I said to this kid Novak, whore name is Marilyn, 'Look, you're not Monroe.'

"We changed her name from Marilyn to.Kim. We went over her voice, which WOB awful; we tried and tried and we suc ceeded."

According to Wald and others who should know, there are three stages, in, building up a star. First, when she is break ing and she will do or say anything to get ahead; secondly, a few good roles; and, finally, the third, or peak, stage, where lose more money for Holly she is right on top and worry-

local Press.

- find Hollywood prosperous,

Everywhere I went calling, at the houses of my long-time friends, Deborn Kerr and Greer Carson, I found optimisan and wood than what appears in the ing and wondering how to keep almost a new spirit,

Film-land is booming. Unable

or

So Hollywood has discovered to murder television it has mar. the world as well as art. rid it, and many of the major studios are turning ou!

peela television series.

man here, As Daily Mait Jonah Ruddy, my guide, puts "The money. Is pouring in and, barring sets of God, will continue to do so."

Louis B. Mayer is dead. 2: So is his era,

It

Have you read the Nor- man Muller look on Holly- wood, The Deer Park? will sk you: but it is closer to the truth the usual gruel that has been fed to you.

Also acts of the devil, such 03 Sputnik!

Hollywood doesn't talks much except as the

about Sputnik, than

subject of more space films.

The new Hollywood has little room today for the Mayer formula or carbon It has copies.

rejected

A gracious welcome to your guests:

DRY FLY SHERRY

DRY FLY SHERRY

IOWLATER HACEN TODRAMAT

More & more people are drinking DRY FLY SHERRY

Cheaper

NE-THIRD of the Hollywood- backed firms now before the cameras are being made abroad. A big slice of Hollywood, Its stars and its producers, is per- petually on location.

It is cheaper to make films in Europe, where the studios have

tied

than Immense sums here in the U.S.

up,

i

there.

Novak is there now and she is one of Hollywood's most accom- plished warriers.

But the names? Well, look at them and consider the num- ber of come-backs:

08 A

Am I unfair to Winston?

WONDER what Winston will think of it?" The man who asked that question stood by the fire in a green velvet smoking-jacket. He had impaled a piece of tournedos steak on a small trident and was holding it to the glowing logs.

Often he bad asked that

question before. Then he had been wearing the khaki and red of the Director of Military Vice-Chief of the Imperial General Stuff,

Operations and

Now Major-General Sir John Kennedy was wonder- ing what his war- time master would think of his outspoken' memoirs, Just published as "THE BUSINESS OF WAR" (Hutchinson, 258.)

Frank Sinatra, os hot firecracker in half a dozen ple-Sir tures?

David Niven, back with bang in Around the World in Eighty Days, now has more offers then be can handle and David has kept his money; ho knows how to:

Cary Grant, back on top at $200,000 a picture:

Clark Gable, all the king --- in such ho his animal appeal will probably remain on the Lake throne another few years. Niven, Gablo has been very careful with his money.

A

High, Wise,

and Handsome

MONG the women stars, Joan

Crawford, Barbara Stanwyck, and Claudette Colbert have kept up high by wisely moving on from romantic roles to more mature character parts and they

the

And what about Monroe hier. have endured, sel!?

In the New Hollywood the Completely absorbed in her stars cannot get away with too husband, Arthur Miller, Marilyn, much temperament. For

her Hollywood star in Baby Doll, Ella Kazan big difficult name, according to friends, will probably wind up chose not

who had producer-writer-stor in but Carroll Baker,

and over been rejected, over partnership with Miller.

ogain.

In Three Faces of Eve Fox used Utle-known Joanne Wood-

As a

A lot of stars have done that money in order to make more and keep it.

Question

PUT THREE

QUESTIONS TO HIM

FRANKLY

by TOM POCOCK

datelined The Desert, Italy, and Normandy, the bold

WHAT will Churchill think writing and trenchant opinions

of Monty, of it Timé and bgain John repeated this question. Then tens of thousands of As we walked beneath massive words in the fast, neat hand of Cumberland oaks, looked for Sir John himself Thoughts salmon in the swollen river, on the Cabinet meeting that ant with

whiskies-and-soda ended 120 minutes ago, dashed before the great log fire... across pages of War Omco still hot foolscap. Opinions, "Well, anyway, Winston hus not read it yet," said Lady from the brain, committed to paper. at the United Servico Kennedy, and then, turning to Club after lunch,

What do

me: "But you have, you think of it? Truthfully, now,"

".

Controversy

I told her that her husband had written a fascinating, con- THESE papers, and the book troversial, and Important book, when they gave birth A book to inspire, irritate, and are riddled with controversy, I enthrall

took three points. "But do you think I have

I said: "You wrote that in been unfair to Winston?" asked 1942 you had had cause Sir John. I hope not, I just many previous occasions to be Lold the truth as I saw it. But uneasy about the Aghling Winston is such a colossal figurt qualities of our mon. They had that any adverse criticism of not fought as toughly as the him Is often regarded as Germans and the Russians, and sacrilegious"

now they were being outclassed

And there is plenty of criti- by the Japanese," cism of Sir Winston In the 356 pages of Sir John's book.

General Kennedy: "Thero were

examples of this both in the Western Desert and :- in The basis of it is that the Mainya. Frimitive men сад Prime Minister hiterfered too become tough fighters mara mich with the running of the quicidy than we cak It takes war by the professional us about three years to equip soldiers, sailors, and airmen, and toughen a new army,”

I said: This the professionals did, not

whe "You cay that. British, like. Sir John is a professional the

not too enthusiastic about to his backbone,

Invading France in 1044. Why Wila this?"

Two men

were

General Kennedy: "We went to the Teheran conference in 1943 hoping

to postpone the

ward at a cost of a few hundred NOW this compaready been invasion of France and, instead,

Realism is a word I've heard The Independents are harvest. dollars a week, where two years a lot around here-realism, not ing the dollars and the Hecht, ago they would have hired made by Hall of the money that is make-believe. So Glant, which H, Lancaster threesome is big Busan Hayward at $0,000. making Hollywood smile was about Texas, was made in business..

theatres, Texas; Baby Dalt, about Missis- comes from overseas with British and Commonwealth slppl, in Mississippl, and Water- cinemas heading the st

front about New York, in New York, Simple, isn't it?

three of the richest

It has General

the Kennedy's striking pp through wartime boss, Field-Marstal Balkans,

"We were Lord Alanbrooke, But

overruled by the Hollywood is ex- The new

Per- presenting their case, the two Americans and Russians,

haps this may have Ideas Dart Lancaster, Jiminy périmenting, trying new

saved men differ. Few people

London from devastation by V- Stewart, and Gregory Peck are and new namos,

Lord Alanbrooke gave his weapons the following year. As youngish play at being all-powerful any actors in Hollywood. And they more in the film town as the private wartime diary, a raw, it was, the Normandy invasion

Had the What about, the names? The are all artists.

intelligent take a bigger part overwrought document, to that was a near thing.

penman and the old eraven fear of the skilled

Sir Arthur Germans not held their main real, razzic-dazzle name of the

force near of people like women's societies, the Legion of Bryant,

Calais for tho momont, ond maybe it is only The power

second landing they expected, going to be of the moment, la Schary, Zanuck, DeMille, or Decency, etc., is dying.

The result was the slick and the battle would have been Kim Novak. Kim is very big box Goldwyn has dwindled.

many all office and knows it; but she is artist is, in Two or three years ago that Jack Warner seemed to be not exactly an actress,

working for himsoli.

I have never known mysel so sought after. Hollywood at. last appreciates the import ance of the audience thousands of miles away.

GREAT AGE OF SCIENTIFIC EXPANSION

USSI

US

UK

Í THE BARNEKJ

OF WALE

FRON

HANCELLOR:

Hollywood is growing up and not very scholarly book "The touch and go."

The

instances,

I like it.

RESTRICTI POLICY

INVESTMENT

“WELL, CHURCHILL SAID HE HAD TO FIGHT THE LAST WAR WITH ANCIENT WEAPONS ?”

Lendon· Express' Bernies

Turn of the Tide" In the highest military circles it is widely belloved that tho reputation most harmed by this.. book belonge to Lond Alanbrovice.

THEN

Criticism

Was wide

and

In

I said: "And what about the Prime Minister? Now General Kennedy lashed You write that, in 1942, 'It himself to the mast and sailed became more and more difficult his colours to it. He wrote his for Churchill to maintain His own book. He wrote it, while position as Prime Minister, Governor-General of Southern

Critic Rhodesia after the war, And bitter. Our victories later then he called in as editor and the year came only just in time adviser another soldier, to save him. Who could havo Brigadier Bernard Ferguson, replaced him?” who is as handy with a pen as General Kennedy: ""At the with n sword. Sir John time, politicians were seriously ondered, "I do not want. a thinking of either Cripps or personal write-up."

Eden. But had they the same drive, courage, and leadership? - The raw material for The "Winston was unique, Some- Business of War" was not body likened him. a powerful Just late-night diary, General locomotive that had to be kapt Kennedy led me. through the on the rails. I believe he had red stone Elizabethan manor three main assets. house hv rents from tho

"One was his unquenchable, National Trust to a big, baro stimulating courage.ne

room "Good for children's parties at Christmas"

Thero piles on tables were bundles and bundles of papers

tied together with white tape.

**

"Another was his firsi-band knowledge of politicians and civil servants and his power to drive themL.

The third was his masterly handling of the Americans. No- body else could have done that," It is the shut of history. At Speaking of. Sir Vinston, random, he picked a handful Goderni Kestedy umudi - of paper. A pencil scribble worda "massive," "titanio," that was Bir John Duys. "colossal.".

personal statement when he Then henki: "After all this supersocked, as ̊C.LGS. by I wonder if the fellows in my Alanbrooke, with a footnote club will evar aponic suggested by Kennedy-that hapagain.""na

tell no bitterness.

Peng Y think they will

A "roughly sketched pian for belleveren Anbw what

an assault on - Casalin the Winston Will think of it. He artist-Montgomery,

Jotters, i lettors-from

Jumbo,⠀⠀ Alez, Auk

· lirgo, abests – of rough

thas he