The Van Nuys News from Van Nuys, California • Page 24

11-A-lur. 24-A-North 20-A-Eott VW Van Nuys Morch "COLUMBIA starlet Alexandra Hay held little hope of improving her contract with studio when she left to join stage company of "The Beard." Twelve widely publicized arrests for controversial performance as Jean Harlow in play may win her major role, script privileges and star's berth. (Story at right.) ALI SAR On Hollywood A 10-year-old Reseda girl today had been cast by Warner Arts for a featured role in Illustrated Man." JShe is Christie Matchett who will' essay the role of Rod Steiger's and Claire Bipom'i daughter in the meMe. In real life, Christie is the daughter of Bruce Matchett, wio is an instructor at Fierce College in Woodland Illustrated Man" is adapted for the screen from a book by Ray Bradbury. Speaking of W-7, the company reported a net income of $1,014,000 for the three months ended Oct.

31, 1967. It represents a profit of 27 cents per'share. Yesterday marked the release of the largest' first- print in paperback history when 2,400,000 copies of Elia Kazan's novel "The Arran- gement'' hit the bookstands throughout the country. Kazan will produce and direct the movie version of his book with shooting scheduled to start in May. However, he won't write the ecreenplay.

Arthur Laurents Is handling that chore. Sammy Davis Jr. has created a scholarship to make it possible for an American teenager to study at the Mollie Goodman High School in Israel. Jerry Lewis is a big hit in France. A film festival bearing the name of the jester took place in Paris last week, featuring a compilation of scenes from 14 of the comedian's films.

Lewis was Interviewed in Hollywood by the Parisian audience via long distance telephone and it -was cast over the French radio network. i a "Half a Sixpence" today had received another endorsement. The National Catholic Office of Motion Pictures cited the Tommy as "gorgeous musical entertainment for the family." Kenneth Hyman, W-7 production chief, announced another major acquisition Tennessee Williams' forthcoming Broadway play "Seven Descents of Myrtle." Under the terms of the agreement, the author will get an initial payment of 8400,000 with, escalation provisions bridging the total to 8800,000, depending on the run of the play. Award winning composer- conductor Lalo Schifrin has signed a long term multifaceted a with Paramount Pictures it was announced by Arnold D. Burk, firm's vice president in charge of music operations.

The package deal includes an exclusive recording contract with Dot Records and Paramount's publishing firms, in addition to a nonexclusive pact for the scoring of at least one motion picture per year. Warner Artt is releasing 14 motion picture short subjects in color during the first quarter of 1968. Included are such Technicolor cartoons as "Fiesta Fiasco," i Mouse," "Hocus Focus Powwow," "Mutiny on the Bunny," "Norman Normal," "Big Game Hunt," "Spyscraper Caper," "Hop-, py Go Lucky" and "Hippodrome Tiger." The fourth annual Hugh O'Brian Acting Awards, competition in which UCLA Theatre Arts students compete for S1000, will be held Tuesday at the UCLA Playhouse. A panel of faculty and industry judges will select top male and female performers from among 10 finalists. Each will receive a S500 cash award.

Paramount Pictures has launched an ambitious merchandising program in the paperback field on behalf of its forthcoming 1968 releases. To date films which will receive special promotional treatment via soft-cover books include "Half A Sixpence," "Will Penny," "No Way To Treat A Lady," "Up The Junction," "Rosemary's Baby" and "'Bar- barella." OUT OF CONTROVERSY-BOXOFFICE 'Beard': Curse for Censor, Kiss for Cast By FRANK TAYLOR The rocky road to stardom gets tougher every year, but overnight suceest Is still possible even in jaded Hollywood if you don't mind going to jail. Alexandra Hay, a blonde actress under contract to Columbia Studios for more than a year, made it big. Miss Hay couldn't find a day's work in front of the Cameras at Columbia, so she accepted a part in a play called "The Beard." Plays Harlow The part was 'simple, enough: she was to play Jean Harlow, platinum blonde.star of the 30s, opposite young actor named Richard. Bright portraying legendary outlaw Billy the Kid.

Her' chores Included a script full of obscene language and a simulated sex act on stage, plus Bright biting her on the big toe. When the play opened in January in West Los Angeles, 40 vice squad officers bundled Miss Hay, Bright, and producer Robert Guy Barrows off to jail and instant headlines across the city. Studio Steps In In all, Miss Hay was arrested 12 times before her studio demanded she return to her duties there. Bright and Barrows were arrested another "six times before they won a restraining order calling a halt to the arrests and the publicity. Thanks td'the' controversy generated by the LAPD vice squad, the production plays to packed houses.

I talked to male lead Richard Bright recently between shows. He's a veteran of the court room and police stations. As the first actor to present the play, in San Francisco, he was hauled before the magistrate en a number of occasions. Finally winning tile case in Bright took the show to New York. Instead of police interference he was told: "We're more interested in fighting crime than censoring plays." Only when the play got fi Los Angeles did it hit pay dirt After leaving the show.

Miss Hay saw her fortunes in films improve a thousand-fold. Producer Otto Preminger joined the opening night audience scouting talent, and according to Miss Hay's manager, Mr for a costarring, role with Carol Channing iir "Skiddob." She ie currently sifting through seven other movie scripts and Columbia may put her under exclusive contract. Victoria Hale, who replaced Alexandra in "The Beard'," now looks forward to her own discovery. So far nothing has happened. "I believe in my agents -you have to do that," she told me.

"They bring people down to see the show all the time. Something will happen soon," she says. URGES ACTORS TO QUIT POLITICS Aldo Ray numbers among a group of well known Hollywood actors who feel members of their profession should- not be publicly vo6al about their political beliefs. Philharmonic Solos DiVall First trumpet of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Robert DiVall, will be soloist when Zubin Mehta conducts the Orchestra Sunday at 3 p.m.; Music Center Di Vail performs the Concerto in flat major for Orchestra -by Haydn. Also programmed" are Stravinsky's- Symphony in Three Movements and the Brahms Symphony No.

3. Watts, American i a i scored a series of triumphs with Mehta during the Orchestra's -world tour last fall, will be one of the so- hists with the Philharmonic next Thursday and Friday. IT'S EVERYTHI A MOTION PICTURE CAN BE JULIA FOSTER-CYRIL R1TCHARD PENaOPE HORNER-GROVER DALE tit IT KQSTAL-fntai IT fflWES RSCHNK. iPMMIMTMM WEb mantfj thn 9Mw4v A 130 PJIL; MATC i 94B A tt. WMMy BOX OFRCE OPEN DAILY IftW F.M.

SUN. 12 f.M. stm till 4M-HM 4M41U Gravel-voiced Ray, who stars with John Wiyne and David Janssen in Warner Arts' "The Green Berets," says, "As long as aft actor is actively pursuing his career, his purpose should be to entertain audiences, not to influence them politically." Ray once held political office. He was constable of his home town, Crockett, before entering films. "It's not that I believe actors aren't equipped for the battle of the ballots," he added.

"But the public may express its displeasure at your political views by staying your films, hurting your studio as well as you." Because she wag an understudy, Miss Hale missed being arrested in the early days. "I wag happy about that," she says with a full look. "I would have liked the publicity, but I want to keep my name clear for a while If I can." Her co-star, Richard Bright had different ideas. "If they try to stop me again I'll fight back. They'll have to carry me off the stage.

I fought this In the courts and won, and they still keep bothering us. I won't go quietly anymore," Bright said hitting a pocket book edition of the play with his fist for emphasis. If the real Billy tie Kid and Jean Harlow culled a press-conference tomorrow, it's doubtful they could match the publicity that surrounds a play about- them. If they saw the likely mumble, "Much ado about nothing." And they wouldn't be far from the truth. ACADEMY AWARD WINNER! FOREIGN FILM! ORIGINAL STORY AND 1CMINPLAY! 2nd Record A MAN ANd A WOMAN A flM BY CLAIM LELOUCH WITH ANOUK.

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