The Independent Film Journal (1954)

Inside Production HOLLYWOOD. • • Shavelson, Rose Reveal Story Behind Eddie Foy Biography Film By Richard Bernstein “Comedy comes from realism,” Melville Shavelson and Jack Rose said on the set of their first Scribe Production for Para¬ mount release, “Eddie Foy and the Seven Little Foys,” which stars Bob Hope. Shavelson and Rose, two of the top screen writers in motion pictures, wrote the film with Hope in mind. The feature, which is being shot in Vista-Vision and Technicolor, is being produced by Rose with Shavelson directing. How this film idea started is almost a screen story in itself. Mel and Jack heard the fabulous story of Eddie Foy and decided that it was the most interesting biography of anyone in show business. It was, as they put it, more a family story with a show business background. Natural Comedy Used “We feel that this is one of Hope’s strong¬ est stories,” the duo explained. “It calls for characterization from Hope. The humor in the picture is natural comedy that springs from situations and is not forced. The best comedy comes from life, we have found out.” Three months after they told Bob Hope the story, the twosome were on the sound stages of Paramount, shooting. The film has a production schedule of 42 days with five days rehearsal and seven production numbers in the film. It is Shavelson’s first directing effort, as well as Rose’s first as a producer; however, it has been no chore adapting to this for the two, who know motion pictures and produc¬ tion from A to Z. Regarding Shavelson’s directing, Rose said : “It makes it easier. It delegates the authority to the writer. The writer knows how to and what should be put on the screen.” Foy, currently starring in the Broadway hit, “The Pajama Game,” has been signed to do the narration for the film biography of his late father. Foy will have a much more important role than that usually as¬ signed the narrator of a movie in that he will deliver a running commentary rather than the usual introduction or forword. Past Era Recreated His narration will lend authenticity to the film and will help recreate the golden era of vaudeville of which his famous father played such a key role. One of the big scenes in the film is the Iroquois Theatre fire in 1903 at which Foy was a hero. The horrible fire, which had 600 fatalities, was responsible for theatres clos¬ ing until new fire laws were installed. Foy heroically tried to calm the audience at the Iroquois. “The film,” Rose and Shavelson stated, “covers the period from 1898 to 1913. It tells of Foy’s marriage to an Italian baller¬ ina. played by Milly Vitale, who co-starred with Kirk Douglas in ‘The Juggler.’ Upon her death, Foy is left with seven little ones to care for.” Charlie Foy, well known night club opera¬ tor, is acting as technical advisor on the film and the producer and director also have con¬ sulted with Bryan Foy, the well-known pro¬ ducer. Shavelson pointed out that an unusual as¬ pect of the picture is that the songs are standards of the period and not written es¬ pecially for the film. Shavelson and Rose are responsible for the writing of such hit screen properties as “Room For One More,” “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” the story of Gus Kahn, and the current Martin and Lewis hit, “Living It Up.” In the Foy film, James Cagney plays George M. Cohan. As to why there is a scar¬ city of comedy properties, the twosome said : “It is tough to develop comedy stories. Off beat stories are good for comics.” “The best thing I can do as a director is to get what I have in the script on the screen,” Shavelson said. He also pointed out that a writer-director knows why a line was written and how it should be read. It was also cited that in the twosome, production, writing and directing are encompassed making Shavelson and Rose a motion picture company in them¬ selves. “It’s quite an economical setup,” Shavel¬ son said. “Today, the story is becoming more important in motion pictures. The guys who wrote the stories should have something to say as to how they are put on the screen.” He stressed that his biggest problem as a director was to learn to handle people. He also found out that a director has to make sacrifices to the camera in regard to the tell¬ ing of a film story. After completing the Eddie Foy picture, Shavelson and Rose will start work on their next film, “Kitty Hawk,” the story of the Wright Brothers. Breen Heads WGA Hollywood. — Richard Breen, screenwriter, has been elected president of the over-all council of the newly organized Writers Guild of America, West. The screen division elected Ivan Goff president of that unit, with Herb Merdon, vice-president, and Winston Miller, secretary-treasurer. next production. . . . Cameron Mitchell was signed for a co-starring role at M-G-M in the CinemaScope musical drama, “Love Me or Leave Me,” which Joe Pasternak will produce and Charles Vidor direct. James Cagney and Doris Day are his co-stars. * * * Frank McCarthy anounced that he and William Lowe have secured an option on the motion picture rights to the untitled Afri¬ can novel which Ernest Hemingway is writ¬ ing in Cuba. Following a two-day visit with the Nobel Prize winner Hemingway at his home near Havana, McCarthy said the novel is expected to serve as a story basis for a motion picture safari project which he and the author and Lowe set up in September. The film will be produced independently by McCarthy, who is a 20th Century-Fox execu¬ tive. Lowe is a former editor of “Look” magazine. * * * Julius Epstein has been signed by Hal Wallis to prepare the screen play of his original story, “All Around The Town,” which the Wallis company has purchased. . . . Dimitri Tiomkin will do the score for Mervyn LeRoy’s Warner Bros, production, ‘ ‘ Strange Lady in Town,’ ’ which stars Greer Garson and Dana Andrews. . . . Edward G. Robinson was signed by Warner Bros, for the star role in “Illegal,” which Frank Ros¬ enberg will produce. It is slated for a midJanuary start under the direction of Lewis Allen. W. R. Burnett is currently writing the screen play. . . . Richard Conte will star in “Twilight Alley” for Producer William Broidy. Frank McDonald will direct the feature for Allied Artists. * * Another Allied Artists item is one that Richard Basehart, who is in John Huston’s “Moby Dick,” will co-star with Neville Brand in “Hold Back The Night,” which will go into production in early 1955. The screen play for the film was written by Walter Doniger based on the Pat Frank novel of the same name. The story deals with an episode in the Korean campaign. . . . Over at Columbia, Executive Producer Jerry Wald announced that William Wright has been signed to a producing contract. * * * Richard Burton was signed by writerproducer-director Robert Rossen to star in the title role of “Alexander The Great,” multi-million-dollar spectacle to be released by United Artists. “Alexander,” which will be filmed in color and one of the new wide¬ screen processes, is scheduled to go before the cameras Jan. 15 on location in Spain. 72 THE INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL— November 27, 1954