The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 99

"TTr5 1 SUNDAY MORNING, AUGUST 26, 1 ittlfi "LA'- Mh? rr-r tjy' xxs ii t- I IBs: Mm I lllii IK iiPilSSxlPi -1 1 Vi A Xx BIBLE COMES ALIVE Gregory Peck can't help but notice the charms of reclining Susan Hayuard in 20th Century-Fox dramatization of "David and Bathsheba" Technicolor extravaganza is said to capture sweep and poiver of the tragic romance. Forceful 'pn screen, Peck is unassuming off, LATEST HOLLYWOOD TREND-NEW VERSIONS OF OLD HITS Fame Fails to Affect Greg Peck's Humility Star Expects Offers of Bible Roles, but Rejects Series of Similar Parts BY HEDDA HOPPER At the beginning of his career the young actor often is humble and eager to please. By the time he's famous temperament has reared its ugly head. But Gregory Peck, who Part IV XX of the color. there camt a faint glimmer of sun and shot feverishly.

And how do you suppose it came out in the magazine? Why, in black and white, of course." liost Weight She wants it distinctly under stood she's not trying to belittl the English or. their filmmaking. "They have their own methods and- they're just different from ours," she said, "but I'm mighty glad to be back hert working." Vera-Ellen said she lost several pounds over there and her waist measure dropped to 18 inches. "They'll fill up on tea," she said, with a grin. "After the film was finished I took a fast trip around Europe and put on weight in Italy." I asked the actress just why she took the "Happy Go Lovely assignment.

Recognized by Elizabeth "Well, there wasn't anything doing right at. the moment for me at MGM," she 'answered. "I had never been abroad and thought ir would be quite fascinating. Executives at Metro tried to discourage me' but I went anyway. It was fun, in a way.

I enjoyed Scotland very much, Edinburgh in particular, where I picked up a cute little dog with a burr in his bark." Vera-Ellen went to. the Command Performance but -she didn't get to meet-the King and Queen because she wasn't in Turn to Page 9, Column 4 1951 NiV', xx i I stands on the top rung in Hollywood, is as humble and con his first picture screen. Yet MGM, recently announced a remake of "Fleshand the Devil" in its program, for 1951-52. Same director Clarence Brown. And who would befits tentative great lovers-of tomor row? Ava Ricardo Montalban and; Fernando La-mash (Audience Changes Still, don't It might have been Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra Dore Schary, MGM executive, told me last week he considers it "Safe" to remake film that has played out audiences who retain any emotionaL concept of how it should be played." That is, picturegoers with long memories, like yoursand mine.

Taken into account, however, must also be 'an anticipation of audience change," Schary added. Some subjects cannot be remade, because the material no longer has application to? the present time. "In the case -of'Show Boat," he said, "Arthur.Freed produc er) and George Sidney (direcr Turn to Page 3, Column 1 tract to either MGM or Hollywood will come up with its own multiple Rodgers and Ham-merstein, thank you. A second trend is toward remakes without music. True, this one is always going on, openly or in supposed secrecy; but the current trend favors the romantic story.

"A Place in the Sun," new version of "An American Tragedy," is an important keystone here. It is helping to bridge the gap between crime and sex, or "realism" and "romance," with a crime of passion. Smooching Is Out Hollywood is closely watching the first box-office returns on "A Place in the Sun." They are "big." If moviegoers once more accept the love story per se, it will doubtless have to be told by indirection, as it has been by George Stevens in this sensitive and somber tale. Smooching even hign-class smooching like John Gilbert's and Greta Garbo's in "Flesh and the Devil" would probably be hooted off the BY PHTLIP K. SCHEUER The next big swing will be to remakes-; pardon, new versions with music.

A primary reason is the smash success of "Show Boat," a remake which came already equipped with music. Other reasons are that a big swing to SOMETHING is urgently indicated and that by following the Rodgers-Ham-merstein pattern almost any property, comedy or drama, can be converted into a musical play on film. Since this would apply to hundreds of properties already owned by studios the move is an inspired money saver as well. Bridging the Gap So Hollywood reasons, at least within the sanctums of two of the leading companies Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and 20th Century-Fox. Nor is Hollywood at all deterred by the fact that the composer and lyricist of "Oklaho ma!" "Carousel," "South Pacif ic" and "The King and are not, at the moment, under con mind either 'The Male Animal' or I'm leaning heavily toward comedy." I knew Peck had lived in La Jolla as a boy and asked if he had chosen that spot for his theater from sentiment.

"Sentiment, yes, and other things, too. The people at La Jolla are loyal; they buy up a full season's subscription. Beside that, there is San Diego to draw 350,000 persons only 10 miles Turn to Page 9, Colnmn 6 INTERNATIONAL STAR Vera-Ellcn, on of top feminine dancing stars, took 'a flier in a musical, "Happy Go Lovely" filmed, in England and Scotland. Sher found it interesting but arduous because of different production methods The actress shown here in a. jazz ballet number from the film Uo be released by RKO.

Vera-Ellen Goznpares Filming 'Comforts' U.S. to British Trials x. 1 "Costume materials are hard to get, too. I wear a cotton costume in one scene of 'Happy Go Lovely' that the average American' star wouldn't, be caught dead ia do you know, it looks pretty good on the screen." Vera-Ellen found the lack of meat a problem, since dancers consume unusual amounts of steak for energy building while they're working. She also found the climate, otherwise known as fog, not conducive to "animated performance." "Maybe if you were doing a mystery drama the climate would fit right in," she laughed.

Revels in Sunshine The silver-blond star, who has danced her way to the top in Hollywood musicals with Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and others, is a sun worshiper and lives in the San Fernando Valley where she gets plenty of it. After her British experience she's really reveling in California sunshine. "Marcel, the producer, always had us report at 6 a.m. for work," she explained, "which meant I would arise about 4:30, breakfast (one egg a week) and then dogtrot around fog-bound Hyde Park to limber up. "I happened, to mention this and the fact that sometimes I would exercise my leg muscles atop the hotel to the press agent one day and he had a brilliant idea to shoot these activities in color for a magazine.

"So we waited and waited for Just a little sunshine, because operative today as he was with I was talking with a producer recently about what type actor he needed for an important role. "It calls for a great actor," he told me, "a man like Gregory Peck, with a fine, thoughtful perspective." Peck was Aery interested. Good Bo Office So that's what they think of me," he said. "I've wondered. You feel baffled when you're handed the same characters in various disguises over and over.

I made 'Keys of the Kingdom" and the scripts passed to me for the following year were about clergymen. After 'Twelve O'Clock High' a series of martinets showed up. And they certainly drummed up some heels after 'Duel in the I'd rather flop than play it safe with thei Fame part 4o times. I suppose when 'David and Bathsheba is released I'll have a time getting away from Biblical characters." "Mavbe vou won't want to get I told him. "The Bible is good box office." Wants Different Role Peck smiled.

"We have a great story in 'David and David gets into as much Dutch as a fellow can get into. He has four or five wives before he spots the redhead (Susan Hayward). His own son, Absalom, turns on him. The prophet Nathan (how Raymond Massey plays that part!) warns him, but he goes) far out on the limb. Then he goes straight to the Man upstairs and promises to work differently i in the future.

It proves that ev- erything will be okay with the world if we can only get back to God. "But while I think David Is fine perhaps the best I've had I want something different next." "What about Ernest Hemingway? They have 'The Snows of Kilimanjaro at 20th." Plays at La Jolla "Hemingway Peck turned the' name over reflectively. "Hemingway writes the way he likes it. We write Hemingway the way we think everyone likes it. You can't get funny with Hemingway; his work has architecture and resents tampering." "Well, you produce your own plays at La Jolla," I told him.

"What are you going to do there this year?" "I haven't quite made up my on Cf BV JOHX I SCOTT After the $3,000,000 movie, "London Town," proved to be one of the costliest flops of film history, cinema" makers in Great Britain decided not to venture further into competition with Hollywood mu sicals. That is, until a Ruma- nian producer, Marcel Hell- man, was able to lure Vera-i Ellen, Cincinnati-born dancing star, to. England for his "Hap- py Go "I couldn't have done it without her," was quoted as saying after he brought in the musical for $840,000. It will be released by RKO. The vivacious, 25-year-old dancer, who is now working for the second time as costar with Fred Astaire in MGM's "Belle of New York," told me she.

had an interesting time doings the English musical, but that she missed the "comforts" of Hollywood production. Shoes and Hose Scarce "They have no idea over there, for, how much equipment a dancer needs for film work," she said. "Since shoes and full-length hose wear out at an astonishing rate and since these articles are just not to be had in. England, I had to put in a rush order to Hollywood for. 50 pairs of each.

V5, xV IS 'LOVE STUFF LIKE THIS COMING BACK? And if it is, tvill spectators cheer or jeer? Still from Clarence Brown's production for MGM of "Flesh and the Devil' remains classic of its kind, with Greta Garb and John Gilbert as great lovers' of th era (1927). With new suing in Hollywood to remakei of musicals, Times writer speculates about possibility of further step to love stories of past. Says MGM's Dore Schary: "Maybe. Love never loses its market. But since the end of World War 11, return reflective subjects has been slower than in! 1920s." k..