Hollywood Studio Magazine (March 1970)

JERRY LEWIS DOES HIS THING! By Carl Combs Jerry Lewis was doing his thing before it became popular. He was an individualist when any deviation from the prescribed standard was looked upon as slightly illegal. In his 21 years of motion picture stardom Lewis has never wavered in seeking his own direction. He made his own funny faces, screamed in his own unbelievable decibels and invented his own mad business from the very beginning. It has taken 21 years for the world to catch up with him, and now that styles and ideas are what you want them to be and non-conformity is the only way to go, Jerry Lewis is being recognized for his enormous contributions to the business of being yourself on the screen or on the street. The French were possibly the first to acknowledge the unfettered genius in Lewis. He’s a real hero on the Champs Elysees. Today Lewis is carrying on his crusade for free-swinging entertainment by directing, producing and starring in a war satire at Warner Bros, called “Which Way to the Front?”, in which Lewis, among other things, organizes his own army, sails to war on a caviar — and girl-laden yacht, masquerades as a Nazi general and attempts to kill Adolf Hitler. Although his extroversion, his affection for never-ending on-camera activity, are well known Lewis characteristics, he stopped mugging for the cameras long enough last summer to direct a picture in England starring Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford. And despite the ego-oriented life he mostly leads, he is always a good and generous friend, keeps many key members of the production company with him wherever he makes movies, and is even considering the idea of a profit-sharing plan for the crew members. Anyway, the complete freedom of action and expression which Lewis had allowed himself over the years of his professional life has given his work the indelible stamp of originality. He has been letting it all hang out ever since he was a cheerleader at Irvington High School, Irvington, N.J. NEWS FROM GOWFR GUICH By Bea Colgan News is scarce these days. I really miss my favorite spy! NEW PARENTS are Ed and Barbara Knight. Tiny Karen Lee was born January 24th at Burbank Community Hospital. Ed is script supervisor for Screen Gems’ “Bewitched” series ... Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Kramer also welcomed a baby girl with the arrival of Jennifer on the same day at Cedars of Lebanon. Father is producer-director of the recently completed “R.P.M.*”. (*revolutions per minute) . . . AROUND THE LOT - Diane Doherty Hamblin taking a leave of absence from data processing to collect her — thoughts??? .. . Peter Frankovich is back at Columbia with his father’s unit, Frankovich Productions. He had been at our exchange in Beverly Hills for a time . . . Elly Mitchell, formerly secretary to Hal Fisher in location, now working in the B.B.S. Productions unit. Also new with B.B.S. are Peter Bogdonovitch, Sheldon Shrager and Steve Blauner ... Ed Fisher, unit publicist on the recently completed “I Walk the Line,” back doing same chore on “Doctors’ Wives” for Mike Frankovich .. . Claire Helman of the art department has retired and Kent Seymour moved over from construction to fill Claims former spot. Steve Dellagatta returned to fill Kent’s spot in construction . . . Harden Southall has joined Columbia as administrative assistant to Howard Fabrick in industrial relations . . . Robert Hagel moves from Screen Gems to Columbia ... Having wrapped their assignments and/or moved their projects elsewhere are Daniel Taradash, Tony Owen, Alan Livingston and Frederick Kohner. We won’t say goodbye as people have a way of returning to Gower Gulch and these good folk may not be exceptions .. . Here at the moment of writing arh Ronnie Shedlo, producer of “The Reckoning;” Herb Ross, director of “The Owl/and the Pussycat;” Margaret Booth, film editorial executive with Ray Stark; Albert Brenner, art director; James Goldstone, director; Herb Wallerstein, assistant director, and Joel Glickman, producer, all laboring on “Kane.” . .. Production goes on in spite of the huge fire at our Ranch in Burbank. Damage was in excess of a million and a half — but the show must go on . Producer-director Stanley Kramer and Columbia hosted foreign diplomats from 35 countries recently with a tour of the lot and a buffet luncheon in their honor . . . Mr. Kramer recently received the highest honor of UCLA’s chapter of Phi Eta Sigma, national men’s honor fraternity, for distinguished service to mankind. Along with this goes an honorary life membership in the fraternity. Presentation took place at a banquet February 21 at the Tail o’ the Cock restaurant . . . SCREEN GEMS worth noting — EUE/SG’s to film series of commercials for Ringling Bros, and Barnum & Bailey circus in St. Petersburg, Florida . . . Doug Duitsman has replaced Jim Hardiman as director of studio promotion and publicity for SG’s. Doug comes to SG’s from NBC where he was press & publicity department manager . . . Tom Folino left Ansel Productions to join EUE/SG’s as producer/sales representative . . . Jim Hogan, unit manager for “Here Come the Brides,” will direct his first segment for SG’s . .. OBITS - Our deepest sympathy is extended to Mr. and Mrs. Ray Stark on the untimely death of their only son, Peter in February. Also to family of Peggy Holmes, retired trailer editor at Columbia and to family of Thomas F. Jackson, retired second cameraman. Additional words are superfluous. Thoughts are what count. See you next month. * * * GIVES MONEY AWAY Ever since “The Millionaire” went on the tube in 1954, Marvin Miller is constantly being stopped and asked for a million dollar check. The requests were so numerous that Marvin had special checks made up which were numbered in sequence. To date, some 15 years later, Marvin has passed out exactly 172,506 checks for $1,000,000 worth of “good luck.” PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS! Pag' 11