Hollywood Studio Magazine (May - June 1968)

THE LAST WORD Movie making in Italy is always a little crazy, but right now it’s awful, at least that’s what the staff of Sergio Leone claims. The director demanded 300 frontier types. Chinese, Negroes, Ameri¬ can Indians, Mexicans, trappers and cow¬ boys for key scenes were needed—and there is no central casting in Rome. Hence the casting department set out to beat the bushes for the right types. Can you imagine trying to locate 35 Chinese women—in Rome? After scouring gift shops, laundries and restaurants 31 women were located. There is a small colony of negroes in Rome and they were all signed on. Spanish residents will be tapped for parts as Indians and Mexicans. “Naturally,” the Italian director said, “this will be an authentic western.” The name? “Once Upon A Time ... In The West.” If Tom Mix could see movie making in Europe today he would pro¬ bably be tempted to turn in his spurs. But the end isn’t in sight, Peru is bidding for its first western to be titled: “Cactus.” * * * There won’t be any technicians left in Hollywood pretty soon. Sixty-five have been shipped to Hazelton, Pennsylvania to bring a unit total of 141 working on Paramount’s “The Molly Maguires.” Another big crew was sent by Para¬ mount to the Arizona State Pen for “The Riot.” If this keeps up Hollywood will have to import men from Europe to fill the local jobs—runaway production in reverse. * * * Rod Steiger is discovering his part in “The Illustrated Man” is like being a combination tatooed lady and Pearl White. He spends 10 hours a week being completely tattooed by the makeup de¬ partment then tops it off with things like swimming nude in an icy lake. This was followed by two days of playing his scenes in a driving down pour. He will be “Mr. Clean” if this keeps up. Even the fabled Pearl White wasn’t tat¬ tooed in her silent film epics. As Steiger recently observed, “I’m learning the hard way the old adage, ‘There’s no business like show business’ is all too true.” Oh well, he has his Oscar to console him. * * * Jorge Leneas, a native Ukrainian who settled in Mexico was tapped recently to play the role of an Indian peon in “The Wild Bunch,” now shooting in Parras, Mexico. That makes sense, why get a real Indian peon when you can hire a Russian actor instead. A former Hawaiian pineapple locomotive has been located by 20th Century Fox to run on the elevated train tracks of “Hello, Dolly!” Lindley F. Bothwell of Woodland Hills, just hap¬ pened to have it in his backyard. * * * The Olympic Games, Summer and Winter, will be represented by Walt Disney Studios one way or another this year. Mike Hughes, former traffic boy and now a recording coordinator for Tutti Camarata at Sunset Sound, has been selected to represent the United States in Mexico during October as a member of the Volleyball team. Betty Gossin of the Film Editing department was with her daughter, Sandi Sweitzer, at Grenoble, France for the Winter Olympics and watched her place seventh with Roy Wagelein in pairs figure-skating competition, despite a severe leg injury suffered during practice. From Grenoble, Sandi went on to the World Figure Skating Championships at Geneva. Sandi and Wagelein, members of the Pickwick Center Skating Club in Burbank, earned berths in the two big meets with a second-place finish in the U.S. National Championships at Philadel¬ phia. * * * Jim Brown who just finished “The Split” for M.G.M. left for duty on “Riot” for Paramount. On his release from that he will be the featured speaker at the dedication of the new Manuel Arts High School auditorium. He may need his “Riot” training for the task. * * * Robert E. Webb currently starring in “The Last of the Commancheros,” gave up a job as a fireman in Palm Springs because his wife thought it was too dangerous. In the film fireman Webb is burned at the stake. * * * Fifi d’Orsay will get a lifetime ambition fulfilled when she plays a Catholic Mother Superior in the movie, “Hinkey, Dinkey, Parlez! A tribute to the WW I Armistice and founding of the American Legion. The male lead for the same picture, Cal Robertson called the producers Jack Rosenberg and Cliff Halle and said, “My first name matches the initials of your company (Consolidated Artists Limited) how about letting me read for the part? The producers did and signed him to a term contract. it SUBSCRIBE NOW THE LAST WORD 34