Special Delivery (Columbia Pictures) (1955)

World in Uproar Over Scandal of ‘Special Delivery’ (General Advance) International affairs have been remarkably unproductive of much humor in recent years but, according to report, Columbia Pictures’ “Special Delivery,” starring Joseph Cotten and Eva Bartok, changes all that. Arriving at the Theatre, “Special Delivery” relates the hilarious dilemma confronting a U.S. diplomat somewhere overseas when he discovers he has an abandoned baby on his hands and an undercover babe in his arms. In “Special Delivery,” which Hollywood considers the funniest movie idea in a decade, Cotten plays a suave American diplomat whose aplomb, as a member of the striped-pants-and-spats sets, is shattered when a baby boy is deposited in the garden of the embassy over which he presides. He names the boy Sam, after his new “uncle,” and grants him “political asylum.” The local foreign minister demands the infant’s immediate return, and sets up a clamor which threatens to become an international incident of major proportion. The situation faced by the embattled ambassador and his staff is further complicated when Miss Bartok is sent in by her government to nurse the baby. Her beauty, her concern for the the baby and her culinary ability, all take the embassy by storm even while the diplomat continually suspects her to be an undercover agent. One of Hollywood’s most accomplished actors, Cotten is said to have one of his funniest roles as the American diplomat in a daze, while Miss Bartok is thoroughly delightful as the girl who comes to care for a baby and learns to care for an ambassador. The featured supporting cast includes Niall McGinnis as the embassy counsellor; Rene Deltgen as the local official who matches wits with Cotten; Robert Cunningham, Don Hanmer and Lexford Richards as members of Cotten’s embassy staff who, with him, know more about diplomacy than they do about diapers. “Special Delivery” was mainly filmed on location in Wiesbaden, Germany, famous for its little funicular railway which is seen on the screen for the first time. The ballroom set for the romantic comedy, where Washington’s birthday is celebrated at a spectacular diplomatic affair which culminates in a gay love scene, is the biggest ever built in Germany. “Special Delivery” is an N. Peter Rathvon Production written for the screen by Phil Reisman, Jr., and Dwight Taylor. John Brahm directed for producer Stuart Schulberg and Gilbert de Goldschmidt. Baby Named Sam John Brahm, director of Columbia Pictures’ “Special Delivery,” the new romantic comedy starring Joseph Cotten and Eva Bartok at the | _ Theatre, tested 129 babies to play little Sam, the foundling child who precipitates an international incident somewhere abroad. When eightmonths-old Jorg was finally selected for the role, Brahm learned that the little fellow lived right around the corner from the studio and was the son of a studio costumer. Important! additional mats — 1-A and See Two scene one-column Mat Nos. |-B — are page 7, also available. “Special Delivery’? Mat 2-A; Still No. Art 3 “SPECIAL DELIVERY” STARS joseph Cotten and Eva Bartok in an uproarious international romance on the Theatre screen. “Special Delivery” is a Columbia Pictures’ comedy. ‘Special Delivery’ Star Prize Beauty Eva Bartok’s path to movie stardom followed the classic route of the beauty contest winner. Currently starred with Joseph Cotten as a luscious secret agent in Columbia Pictures’ “Special Delivery,” new romantic comedy at Cheese es Theatre, the lovely Hungarian brunette won such a competition in her homeland when she was 13. She became a star of the Budapest stage soon after and her intriguing Hungarian accent, and her brilliant acting ability, won her a part in the picture, “Tale of Five Cities.” She followed this with a contract to appear in Sir Alexander Korda’s films. Eva was a hit on the stage, in Rome, when she attracted the attention of Burt Lancaster who signed her for his adventure drama, “The Crimson Pirate.” She followed this with four British films, playing opposite Richard Todd, Howard Duff, Tom Conway and Jack Hawkins. She appeared in the film version of Oscar Straus’ “The Last Waltz,” and then made “Special Delivery,” in which Cotten appears as a U.S. diplomat somewhere abroad who finds an abandoned baby on his hands; Miss Bartok, as the undercover babe ostensibly sent in by the local government to care for the infant. Featured in the new Columbia comedy, which is said to have the funniest movie idea in a decade, are Niall MacGinnis, Rene Deltgen, Robert Cunningham, Don Hanmer and Lexford Richards. ‘Special Delivery’ .“Special Delivery,” Columbia Pictures’ romantic comedy starring Joseph Cotten and Eva Bartok, opens ....... at the Theatre. The new comedy relates the hilarious international complications that ensue when a U.S. diplomat abroad discovers he has a baby on his hands and an undercover babe in his arms. The supporting cast includes Niall MacGinnis, Rene Deltgen, Robert Cunningham, Don Hanmer and Lexford Richards. Penned for the screen by Phil Reisman, Jr. and Dwight Taylor, the N. Peter Rathvon Production was directed by John Brahm and produced by Stuart Schulberg and Gilbert de Goldschmidt. Cotten Is Diplomat in ‘Special Delivery’ Like the U.S. diplomat he portrays in Columbia Pictures’ “Special Delivery,” now at the ...... Theatre with Eva Bartok also starred, Joseph Cotten knows his way around. When he severed major studio affiliation some time ago, Cotten’s free-lance acting set him wandering over many countries, far from the Hollywood precincts. Cotten recently returned to his California home from location in Wiesbaden, Germany, where “Special Delivery” was mainly made. He hopes to stay put now. “But who knows?” asks Cotten. “T’ve been trying to do just that thing for the last few years, but events always carry me off elsewhere. My wife is tired of traveling, too, but a free-lance actor has to go where the good parts are available.” For the past few years, the Cottens have been wanderers. Joe went to Austria to film “The Third Man,” to England for “Under Capricorn,” to Italy for “September Affair” and the Rhine country for “Special Delivery.” “In between, I spent several months on the New York stage, working with Margaret Sullivan in ‘Sabrina’,” he recounts. “Then, when we came home to Hollywood, it wasn’t for long. I went back to New York to do ‘State of the Unicon’ on television, returned to California and then back to New York again to do a TV show.” Truly International “Special Delivery,’ Columbia Pictures’ romantic comedy of an international incident somewhere abroad, starring Joseph Cotten and Eva Bartok at the Theatre, boasts a truly international cast. Cotten is an American, Miss Bartok is Hungarian, Niall MacGinnis is the Irish doctoractor, Rene Deltgen is Luxembourg’s prize-winning actor. Cotten in Comedy Joseph Cotten, who stars with Eva Bartok in Columbia Pictures’ “Special Delivery,” new romantic comedy at the Theatre, made his screen bow in Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane,” as that gentleman’s less-than-diplomatic friend. In “Special Delivery,” Cotten is an American diplomat. ‘Special Delivery’ Hectic International Love Affair (Review) An hilarious romp in the arena of international incidents, when Uncle Sam becomes a daddy somewhere abroad, is described with gleeful relish in Columbia Pictures’ “Special Delivery,” which opened yesterday at the... Theatre. Starred in the romantic comedy are Joseph Cotten as a career diplomat who finds a baby abandoned in his embassy garden, and Eva Bartok as a local cutie sent in to care for the baby, who quickly discovers she also cares for Cotten. When the baby is discovered, with a note pinned to his clothing asking he be cared for by the U.S. embassy, Cotten grants the infant “political asylum” and names him Sam, after his “uncle.” Miss Bartok is the attractive nurse sent to care for the baby by the local Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rene Deltgen, who simultaneously insists the baby is a citizen of the country; they want him back—pronto! Deltgen goes further than the mere formal representations made by one diplomat to another. He coaches the attractive nurse in the performance of her “duties,” and he inspires “spontaneous demonstrations.” He produces the abandoned baby’s “mother,” only to have this piece of chicanery ingeniously foiled by his own seductive “agent’’ on the scene. Ultimately, the child’s parents are found by Cotten. Sam is restored to them in a final delightful foiling of the ubiquitous foreign minister and the American diplomat is able to propose to the girl he had suspected was a spy. “Special Delivery,” with one of the funniest movie ideas of the decade easily is the thousandlaughs-and-kisses picture of the year. As the diplomat, Cotten is a completely enjoyable romantic comedian and a distinguished, de Scenic Beauty Something new has been added to the screen, in Columbia Pictures’ “Special Delivery,” starring Joseph Cotten and Eva Barfor atthe. Theatre. The romantic comedy was mainly filmed in Wiesbaden, Germany, which is famed for its little funicular railway, but the line had never before been photographed for a feature motion picture. The funicular operates on a unique water power system, from a Wiesbaden park to a mountain top. The ride provides passengers, and now motion picture audiences, with a gorgeous panoramic view of the German city. lightful personification of America’s officialdom abroad. Miss Bartok is equally inviting as the undercover beauty who captures the U.S. ambassador and his all-male staff with her beauty, charm, intelligence and culinary talents. The film’s featured players render excellent support, with Niall McGinnis and Rene Deltgen outstanding as embassy counsellor and foreign minister. Penned for the screen by Phil Reisman, Jr., and Dwight Taylor, “Special Delivery” is an N. Peter Rathvon Production directed by John Brahm. Stuart Schulberg and Gilbert de Goldschmidt produced. Love’s the Same In Any Language! Hollywood found some unique production problems stemming from the fictitious locale of Columbia Pictures’ “Special Delivery,” starring Joseph Cotten and Eva Bartok at the Theatre. Gay comedy of an international incident and its hectic complications, “Special Delivery” is the story of an American diplomat who finds an abandoned baby on his embassy doorstep somewhere abroad. A language had to be found, for one thing, for the citizens of the fictitious country in “Special Delivery.” The film’s producers chose Esperanto, the universal language. Esperanto is easy to translate, easy to speak, and vaguely understandable to people knowing Romance languages. Miss Bartok and Rene Deltgen, who plays an official of the country, were able to rattle off their Esperanto dialogue so fluently, bystanders on the “Special Delivery” set thought it must be their native tongue. Esperanto is an artificial, or made up, language devised by Dr. L. Zamenhof, a Russian, who adopted the pseudonym, “Dr. Esperanto.” The vocabulary is based as far as possible upon words common to the chief European languages; sounds that are peculiar to any single language are eliminated, Esperanto spelling is phonetic, and the accent, or stress, is always on the penult, or last syllable but one. Featured players in “Special Delivery,” in addition to Deltgen, are Niall MacGinnis, Robert Cunningham, Don Hanmer and Lexford Richards. “Special Delivery”? Mat 2-B; Still No. 44 JOSEPH COTTEN EYES EVA BARTOK suspiciously in this scene from Columbia Pictures’ “Special Delivery,” at the Theatre. Rene Deltgen is featured in the comedy, as is the baby named Sam. Page 9.