Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. (Disney) (1966)

Akim Tamiroff Adds Disney Comedy to Long List of Credits A visitor approached Akim Tamiroff on the set of Walt Disney’s “Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.” and remarked that the popular Russianborn actor looked the same as he did in films thirty years ago. An amused Tamiroff replied, “It’s very simple. Playing so many character roles, I was aged far beyond my years through make-up. The lines in my face were drawn on. Now, those lines are really there.” However, for the average moviegoer time seems to have stood still for this fine performer whose many and varied characterizations have kept his career flourishing and brought him international fame. This plump and happy man, whose accent in any language is still unmistakably Russian, first came to the United States with the Moscow Art Theater in 1923. Accompanied by his charming actresswife, Tamara Shayne, whom he had met when she was in the “Chauve Souris” revue in Paris, they decided to remain in America and settle in Los Angeles. Flat broke at the time, Tamiroff spoke no English and was forced to take a job as a streetcar conductor. Meanwhile, his wife found work as a waitress and persuaded her talented husband to give up his job and learn English. For a year and a half he studied all day and went to the movies at night to obServe screen acting techniques. “Most of the time, I would sneak in when the box office attendant left,” he recalls, “I became big specialist in movie endings.” The. screen so fascinated Tamiroff that he tried every angle to land a movie job. In time, he succeeded in getting a few walk-on parts. Then he met Gary Cooper, who immediately recognized his ability and was instrumental in his signing a long-term contract with Paramount. Akim soon became one of the screen’s most popular villains and a succession of roles followed in films like “The Jungle Princess,” “The General Died at Dawn,” “The Buccaneer,” “Union Pacific” and “Northwest Mounted Police.” O1%8 WALT Disey prooucToNS Mat CRU #1E AKIM TAMIROFF During this phase of his career, Tamiroff made a single attempt to lose his accent. “T went to the head of the studio to promise I would work to improve my English,” he recalls. “The boss replied, ‘You do and you’re fired.’ ” That was the last time he ever made an attempt to Anglicize his accent, which he has purposely exaggerated for his role of the island chief, Tanamashu, in the new Disney adventure-comedy that also stars Dick Van Dyke and Nancy Kwan. Recently he was commuting between Paris and Rome, playing an Italian innkeeper in “Hotel Paradiso” and an Egyptian crook in “After the Fox.” He used an Italian accent for the former, but more or less his own for the latter. The most employed and the most international actor in movies today, Tamiroff’s career carries him to the far corners of the earth. However, he and his lovely wife, Tamara, continue to maintain a permanent residence in Palm Springs, California. A student of Stanislavski for nine years, Akim has had stage roles, ranging from The Cat in Maeterlinck’s “The Bluebird” to the Japanese woodcutter in “Rashomon.” Although he would never turn down a good stage role, he still prefers films because of his great love for the camera. Walt Disney's ‘Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.’ Combines Comedy, Romance, Adventure (PREPARED REVIEW) Combining comedy, romance, adventure and music into rollicking entertainment, Walt Disney’s “Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.” is designed to please anyone who ever had a yen to get away from it all. Dick Van Dyke, Mary Poppins’ favorite fella and Hollywood’s brightest young comedy talent, is starred, along with Nancy Kwan and Akim Tamiroff, in this hilarious modern-day version of the popular Crusoe legend. As a Navy jet pilot marooned on a South Pacific island, Van Dyke has a role keyed to his inimitable talents and he’s never been funnier. The cute and curvaceous Miss Kwan proves herself a deft comedienne as the exotic Polynesian charmer who encounters the dashing castaway and remains to become his girl Wednesday. International favorite Akim Tamiroff is a master of comic villainy in the role of a babbling, bumbling chief of a neighboring band of head-shrinking head-hunters. To add to the fun, there’s a poker-playing space-chimp, who having missed his orbital mark, ends up on the island as Crusoe’s house guest. Played to perfection by Dinky, an amazing simian discovery, he all but steals the film from his fellow performers. Filmed in brilliant Technicolor against some of Hawaii’s most lush and picturesque natural backgrounds, the new Disney adventure-comedy is as appealing to the eye as it is to the funny-bone. Director Byron Paul has kept the entire comedy-caper going at a brisk pace and the screenplay by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi snaps, crackles and pops with sparkling dialogue and hilarious situations. Bob Brunner’s exciting musical score fully captures the mood of the story, ranging from melodious love themes to the frantic tempoes of a Polynesian Tamure dance and a war chant. Bill Walsh and Ron Miller have co-produced with Disney the Buena Vista release. ‘CRUSOE’ ONE OF FOUR NEW WALT DISNEY FILMS FOR VAN DYKE One of the busiest stars in Hollywood today is the popular actorcomedian Dick Van Dyke, currently starring with Nancy Kwan and Akim Tamiroff in Walt Disney’s hilarious adventure-comedy, “Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.” Just winding up his fifth and final season as the star of television’s top-rated TV series, “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” the versatile performer recently revealed a staggering number of movie and television commitments he has already slated for the next seven years. On the set of Disney’s updated laugh-version of the popular castaway legend, Van Dyke recalled that “Crusoe” is the first of a new four-picture pact he has signed with Walt. With Columbia Studios, he has been contracted for five films and the Mirisch Company recently negotiated his acting services for three motion pictures, plus a fourth as producer. Then, for his own production company, Dramatic Features, Inc., Dick has two properties he plans on putting before the cameras in the near future. While his weekly television series concludes this season, CBS-TV already has his signature on the dotted line for three hour long specials in which he will star, as well as produce, over the next three years, “By the time I complete fifteen movies and those three TV shows,” Dick said, “T’ll really be ready for that desert retreat I keep talking about.” Filmed in brilliant Technicolor, “Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.” was directed by Byron Paul from a screenplay by Bill Walsh and Don Da Gradi. Walsh was also co-producer with Ron Miller on the Buena Vista release. Conductor-Composer of Disney's ‘Crusoe’ a Fast Rising Talent One of the brightest young musical talents on the Hollywood scene today is Bob Brunner, the musical director of Walt Disney’s hilarious new adventure-comedy, “Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.”, starring Dick Van Dyke, Nancy Kwan and Akim Tamiroff. A former vocalist and choral director, the youthful Brunner joined the Disney organization a few short years ago as an arranger in the music department and his exceptional talents were soon recognized by Disney and his creative staff, His abilities were put to the test on an hour-long TV show for Walt’s top-rated “Wonderful World of Color” program and so impressive were the results, he was handed a succession of similar assignments. Brunner’s dream of scoring a Disney feature became a reality with the recent boxoffice smash, “That Darn Cat,” and one of the most exciting and refreshing musical scores of the year resulted. Bob’s music for the updated version of the popular Crusoe legend is largely Polynesian in mood and tempo, with the lilting island themes broken occasionally by a haunting oriental strain. During a three-day recording session he conducted a 49-piece orchestra, supplemented from time to time by a number of percussion and oriental instruments. The result is an impressive musical accompaniment that should make Henry Mancini and Dmitri Tiomkin look to their laurels. Filmed in brilliant Technicolor, “Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.” was directed by Byron Paul from a screenplay by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi. Walsh also co-produced the Disney feature with Ron Miller for Buena Vista release. New Chimp Actor Given Star Build-Up in Walt Disney’s ‘Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.’ The newest actor to make his bid for stardom under the Walt Disney banner is a_ 100-pound, three-foot-four bundle of talent, known simply as Dinky. He hails from Sierra Leone, West Africa, and although he happens to be a chimpanzee, this is often hard to believe when he starts to emote in front of the cameras. He has all the poise and professionalism of an Actor’s Studio alumnus. Born nine years ago, not far from the Dark Continent’s famed Gold Coast, Dinky is currently lending his talents to Disney’s newest laugh-riot, “Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.,” in which he steals scenes at every turn from stars Dick Van Dyke, Nancy Kwan and Akim Tamiroff. In the Disney adventure-comedy, Dinky plays Floyd, an astro-chimp who overshot his mark during one of the early space shots and has ended up alone on a deserted South Pacific isle where he’s joined by a downed Navy flier, Van Dyke. Together, they become involved in a series of hilarious adventures. This chimp is owned by Stewart Raffill of Safari Animal Rentals in Thousand Oaks, California. The young Englishman has been his trainer and mentor for four years. At the time of their first meeting, Dinky was a retired tight-rope walker whose former owner felt he was past the age for performing on the high wire. Raffill, who was handling the animals on a TV pilot being filmed in Mexico, needed an immediate replacement when his chimp star was recalled to Hollywood to fulfill a movie commitment. He sent for Dinky and gave him his second chance at showbiz. Although he had been inactive for a year and had to be completely re-trained, Dinky impressed Raffill with his intelligence and quick response to word commands. Prior to beginning his initial Disney assignment and his most demanding role to date, Dinky has appeared in the motion pictures, “Sgt. Deadhead” with Frankie Avalon and Deborah Walley, and “Tarzan ’65,” recreating a role formerly played by Cheeta, probably the most famous of all movie chimps. At his Thousand Oaks compound, Dinky enjoys the company of a wide variety of other animal actors. His closest companions are three younger chimpanzees, Margo, Charlie and Elmer, but he relishes an occasional romp with a huge lion named Major. His other friends are Roger, a leopard; Bolly, a grizzly bear; an elephant named Boom, and Freckles, a frisky monkey. When Walt Disney viewed Dinky’s performance in “Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.,” he immediately gave him another featured role in another comedy-feature, “Monkeys, Go Home!” Dink was delighted since Walt also cast his three close friends, Margo, Charlie and Elmer, in the same picture. SA See : 1966 WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS Racoaesorxcoxcorresces Mat CRU #2H j ©1088 WALT os prucTo Mat CRU #1D DINKY AS FLOYD DICK VAN DYKE GETS WORKOUT AS WALT DISNEY’S ‘CRUSOE’ As the Twentieth-century castaway of Walt Disney’s updated version of the popular Robinson Crusoe legend, Dick Van Dyke has his most demanding (and exhausting) screen role in the hilarious adventure-comedy, “Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.” Not only is Dick on screen for all of the film’s 115 minutes’ running time but he alone must sustain audience interest through a third of the picture’s unreeling. Then, too, the physical demands would overwhelm the average athlete. “TI never ran so much in all my life. Up and down beaches, through jungles, over hills and even mountains,” he recalls. “It was like being on a treadmill . . . always on the move but never getting anywhere.” In other scenes Van Dyke dangles precariously at the end of a rescue rope as he’s lifted to safety by a helicopter and gets caught in a snare trap that jerks him upside down, hanging him by one foot. His petite co-star, Nancy Kwan, gives Dick a sound walloping in one fight sequence and a group of native girls almost drown him in a jungle pool in another. To top everything, he takes a wild ride on a galloping, writhing high-pressure hose that’s spraying gallons on everyone and everything while Dick holds on for dear life. The result however is an acting tour-de-force for the bright young comedy star, who emerges from the whole thing undaunted and unscathed. WEDDING FEAST — Akim Tamiroff as the island chief has the last laugh on Dick Van Dyke, in Walt Disney's ‘‘Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.”’ Dick is enjoying the celebration, but doesn't know that he’s been selected as the groom. Nancy Kwan plays the prospective bride in the Technicolor comedy.