Modern Screen (Jan-Dec 1960)

PERSONAL OPINIONS I think 1960 will be the marriage year of Kim Novak and director Richard Quine. She was beside herself when she heard he had fallen ill in London after flying there to take over the direction on The World of Suzie Wong, and as I write this she is planning to join him. Could be the wedding will be in England. . . . Got a chuckle out of reading in Insider's Newsletter that Princess Grace's efforts to be a matchmaker between millionaire Aristotle Onassis and Ava Gardner came to naught. The Princess was so sure the Greek shipbuilding magnate would fall for Ava, her friend from Hollywood days, that she arranged a most intimate dinner. But the expected flame didn't ignite — and the palace dinner turned into a bit of a fiasco. . . . Who says Hollywood forgets or is cold to former movie Queens? The reception received by Bette Davis when she and Gary Merrill opened before the home folk in The World of Carl Sandburg was tremendous and even over the footlights you could see Bette's eyes shining with happiness. . . . I'm getting fed up with master of ceremonies who try to be funny by making references to "the men's room" or "powder rooms." Certainly Hollywood's most formal affairs do not need this type of Chic Sale humor. . . . Nor have I been amused at many cracks about the strike — whether it proves to be short or long. Steve Allen went up in my estimamation when, acting as M.C. at the premiere of Can-Can, he said he had deleted all jokes referring to the strike from his script. . . . Grace Kelly and her Prince exchanged delighted smiles, thinking their matchmaking was working; they didn't notice Ava's bored expression. Poet Carl Sandburg is very the way Bette Davis read ) proud of is ivorks. Could be a London wedding for Kim and Richard Quine. Nancy was glad to do her father the favor of welcoming Elvis home. Elvis Made Her Weep I'm sure the only teenager who ever broke into heartbroken sobs because she had to meet Elvis Presley is Nancy Sinatra, the 19-year-old apple of Frank Sinatra's eye! And lest you other girls find this hard to believe, remember that Nancy and Tommy Sands had just given me the scoop of their engagement and Tommy was waiting on the Coast with her engagement ring while poor little Nancy remained in New York as a favor to her father. Frank was paying Elvis 5125,000 to appear on his (Frank's) TV show — a welcome home to the world's most famous GI, and he had asked his daughter to do the honors for him and meet Elvis when he flew in. It was very appropriate as Nancy, too, was to appear on ihe show as her father's hostess. She is a dear little girl and glad to do a favor for her Dad — even though her heart was 3,000 miles away in California with another popular singer. But the morning Elvis arrived, the Eastern seaboard was hit with the worst March snow storm in 100 years! With teeth chattering, Nancy had met Elvis, welcomed him for herself and her father, posed for pictures and then started (she hoped) for another airport where she would catch her own plane to Los Angeles and Tommy! Half-way back to New York, the chauffeured limousine Frank had sent for her broke down in the enormous snow-drifts and halffrozen to death she walked to a service station and put in a call to her mother — and Tommy. "Yes, I met Elvis," she told Nancy Sr. and Tommy, "But I'm so cold and miserable1." And the next thing her mother and sweetheart heard were just heartbroken sobs! That didn't last long — not after Tommy slipped that four-carat emerald cut diamond surrounded with baguettes on her finger five hours later in Sunny California! 15