The Moon-Spinners (Disney) (1964)

There’s Something New About Walt Disney’s Star, Hayley Mills, in ‘The Moon-Spinners’ Something new has been added to a package of dynamite named Hayley Mills. The bubbly English actress with the button nose and pixie ways has blossomed into a very lovely young lady — a pleasant development which Disney takes full advantage of in his suspense-mystery, “The Moon-Spinners.” In this, her eighth feature motion picture, and her fifth for Walt, Hayley plays Nikky Ferris, an English girl on vacation in Crete who falls in love with a young man wrongly suspected of a jewel robbery who happens by in search of the real culprit. Girl gets boy, but not before encountering all sorts of hair-raising adventures. The lucky fellow who finds himself giving Hayley her first real screen kiss is Peter McEnery, a 28-year-old English actor with two pictures under his belt — “Tunes of Glory” and “The Victim” — and several hit London plays. The picture also stars Eli Wallach, Pola Negri, Joan Greenwood and Irene Pappas. Hayley’s emergence as an adult actress with glamor as well as talent to offer the film-going public could, and should make her the most popular motion picture star of all time. She began her fabulous career at age 12 — co-starring with Horst Buchholz in the British production, “Tiger Bay.” Walt Disney saw it, cast her as the lead in “Pollyanna,” and signed her to a long-term, non-exclusive contract. She won a Special Academy Award for her performance plus the hearts of everyone who saw the picture. Next came “The Parent Trap,” a wonderful, heart-warming comedy which endeared Ha,"ley — she played parent-trapping twins — to movie-conscious teenagers. Since then, she has received up to 7,500 letters weekly. The picture still ranks as Disney’s biggest boxoffice hit. “Mat MS-1A HAYLEY MILLS Then she played in an English production written by her talented mother, “Whistle Down The Wind,” and in 1962 starred with Maurice Chevalier and George Sanders in Disney’s “In Search of the Castaways.” Last year Hayley shared top billing with Burl Ives and Dorothy McGuire in “Summer Magic,” for Walt Disney. Besides her immense popularity with the paying public — for the past two years she has been voted Britain’s number one actress in a trade publication poll — Hayley has been showered with awards from the members of her profession. They include a special Oscar; a Berlin Festival Silver Bear; a Variety Club of Great Britain prize; a British Film Academy Award; an award as Number One Star of Tomorrow following a poll among U.S. and Canadian exhibitors, a Hollywood Press Association Golden Globe and others. Much of the credit for Hayley’s continued success — and certainly for her happy outlook on life — must be given her parents — father John Mills, one of England’s finest actors, and mother Mary Hayley Bell, renowned playwright and authoress. They gave her the home life — on the farm in Sussex — and education — Elmhurst School of Ballet and a Swiss finishing school — that a well-bred English girl should receive, plus the love of a family that does everything tozether. Keeping the family intact has required considerable juggling of film commitments, school schedules and vacations on the part of the elder Mills’, as well as sacrifices. Hayley has an older sister, Juliet, who is well known for her stage, motion picture and television roles, and a younger brother, Jonathan, who remains an English schoolboy although a Disney screen test of several years ago indicated great talent. John and Mary Mills limited Hayley to one picture a year until she finished her formal schooling. Now that she is eighteen, and up to her pretty neck in offers, the effervescent English lass would rather make a picture with her father than anyone else — a tribute to his talent as well as his success as a parent. Besides making “The Moon-Spinners” this year, Havley starred in Ross Hunter’s “The Chalk Garden” with Deborah Kerr, Dame Edith Evans and her father, and “The Truth About Spring,” with her dad and James MacArthur, both for Universal-International. She will also come to California in the fall for her sixth, as yet untitled, Disney picture. Like most girls, Hayley wants to get married, but not for a while yet. “I don’t think a girl knows what kind of a man she wants to spend the rest of her life with until she’s at least 21,” she says. Although she is dead serious about acting — “TI stil] have an awful lot to learn” — Hayley has a barrel of fun when she is not before the cameras. During her early teens at Disney studios, she teamed with young Kevin Corcoran to pull off all manner of practical jokes on the cast and crew. Later it was driveins, dancing and outdoor barbecues that kept her hopping between scenes, During the Crete location filming on “The Moon-Spinners,” Hayley and her romantic lead, Peter McEnery became regular “aquanuts” with their boating, swimming, skin-diving and water skiing activities. They also squeezed in a complete sightseeing and shopping tour of the ancient ruins of Athens on their way home, chaperoned by the elder Mills’ of course. In brilliant Technicolor, “The Moon-Spinners” was directed by James Neilson from Michael Dyne’s screenplay. Bill Anderson co-produced with Walt Disney. Buena Vista releases. DISNEY GOES ALL OUT FOR ‘THE MOON-SPINNERS’ Although Walt Disney has probably more firsts in filmed entertainment than any other showman, he has not lost his zest for opening new doors. For his latest departure, into the realm of mystery-suspense, he has plunged headlong into the task of producing a fantastic cliffhanger in “The Moon-Spinners.” An adaptation of Mary Stewart’s best-seller, the Disney interpretation, fraught with danger and tense action, is calculated to keep the whole family on the edge of their seats without suffering subsequent sleepless nights. Mat MS-2D A GRIM WARNING is directed by villainous Eli Wallach at Irene Papas in Walt Disney's “The Moon-Spinners."’ The Technicolor suspense-mystery, starring Hayley Mills, was Disney personally gathered an international cast rich in ability and public appeal. “The MoonSpinners” stars Hayley Mills as a British tourist on Crete who stumbles onto the murderous plans of the heavy-handed thief, played by Eli Wallach. Also entangled in the web of intrigue are Joan Greenwood, as Hayley’s aunt; Peter McEnery, a man trying to catch a thief while protecting Hayley, his new love; Irene Papas, whose kinship ties in the story force her to remain silent, and Pola Negri, a jewel fancier willing to deal with a criminal for any addition to her gem collection. directed by James Neilson. Buena Vista releases. Page 4 To amplify the dramatic effect of the outstanding cast, Disney moved his crews to the Isle of Crete, enlisted his largest-ever cast, including hundreds of Greeks and Cretans, and supervised photography of some of the world’s most breath-taking scenery. Disney worked his special effects men overtime to keep the story at a constantly high pitch. Among other. things, they rebuilt an entire town, adding everything from plumbing to telephones. Extremely difficult camera work was the regular fare. Photographing a young girl hurtling through the air with nothing to grasp but the shreds of a revolving windmill sail, a horde of cats attacking Eli Wallach, and a brawl in an uncontrolled motor boat were but a few of the tricky high-action sequences. For authenticity, Walt employed the Greek Lyceum and sculptor Corcoro Iannis for two festival sequences, one a traditional Cretan wedding, the other the “Feast of King Minos” in which nearly 1,000 Cretans frolic with bizarre masks and figures. Walt’s finishing touch, capturing on film the pure opulence of the Mediterranean moon as it illuminated the sails of austere windmills, crumbling temples, and petulant waters, lends a phantasmal aura to the taut drama. In color by Technicolor, “The Moon-Spinners” stars Hayley Mills, Eli Wallach, Peter McEnery, Joan Greenwood and Irene Papas. Also, Pola Negri returns to the screen. Bill Anderson co-produced with Walt Disney, and Hugh Attwooll was associate producer. James Neilson directed the Buena Vista release. Mat MS-2C CO-STARS Hayley Mills and Peter McEnery add youth, looks and talent to Walt Disney's first suspense-mystery, ‘The Moon-Spinners.”’ Eli Wallach and Pola Negri also star in the Technicolor feature. Released by Buena Vista. Ruined Elounda on Crete Is Given Face-Lifting for Disney Picture When Walt Disney decided to set his feature, “The Moon-Spinners,” on Crete, the likely-looking town of Elounda was to become only the better for it. Worn to ruin by time and World War II, the place was sorely in need of a face-lifting. But, tattered or not, this was Walt’s idea of the place to shoot his first mystery-suspense story. Today Elounda stands shining new and_ bright. A hundred tons of local stone, 25 tons of plaster, 25,000 feet of lumber, 500 gallons of whitewash, 200 gallons of paint, 2,000 sheets of plywood, 1,000 cubic metres of sand, and unnumbered tons of roof bamboo, vines and exotic plants went into the transformation. Houses were repainted, many being adapted for local industry such as small-boat building, shops, and cafes. Transportation and communications were inproved, too. Concrete roads and paths were laid, and telephone lines installed, where none had existed before. Two impressive buildings were added to the village. One was a classic Greek church in which Elounda residents now worship. The other addition was a picturesque hotel which will give Elounda its share of the rapidly rising tourist trade on Crete. In order to meet a shooting deadline, construction manager Gus Walker augmented the Disney gang with more than 100 local laborers. Even the siesta, normally between one and four o’clock in the afternoon, was suspended until the restoration was complete. When the job was finished, Walker remarked, “This is the biggest overseas set I have ever seen or had to prepare in all my 28 years in the business.” Thanks to “the business” the citizens of Elounda have experienced a 20th Century rennaissance — a la Disney. In color by Technicolor, “The Moon-Spinners” stars Hayley Mills, Eli Wallach, Peter McEnery, Joan Greenwood and Irene Papas. Also, Pola Negri returns to the screen. Bill Anderson co-produced with Walt Disney, and Hugh Attwooll was associate producer. James Neilson directed the Buena Vista release. DANCER MICHAEL DAVIS IN FIRST DRAMATIC ROLE FOR WALT DISNEY At the rate he’s going, Michael Andrew Davis, 15, should wind up to be another Gene Kelly. Currently playing a dramatic role in Walt Disney’s “The Moon-Spinners,” with Hayley Mills, Eli Wallach, Irene Papas and Peter McEnery, young Davis is not only a veteran actor, but one of the most promising flamenco dancers in the world. The wiry, dark-complected youngster toured Europe as a headliner with the famous Jose Greco company several times before he was twelve, played featured parts in half a dozen motion pictures and appeared in a number of top television shows such as “Dick Powell,” “Ensign O’Toole’ and “Ben Casey.” Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the son of Frank Davis, a moulding technician, and Florinda Davis, Michael was taken to dancing class when he was six. “My mother had to drag me all the way,” he remembers. When the family moved to El Paso, Texas, he continued his dancing lessons, and wound up touring Europe with a Spanish group at age eight. Michael met Jose Greco in Spain, when they were both appearing on the same TV show. “He told me if I had been a few years older, he would have signed me,” says Michael. The family moved to Hollywood after the tour, and enrolled Michael in a Catholic school. While practicing intricate steps at a local studio, the boy was spotted by a talent scout and signed for the “Dinah Shore” show. Michael’s first departure from dancing came in Columbia’s “All the Young Men,” in which he played a young Korean boy. He followed this with “Let No Man Write My Epitaph,” in which he played James Darren as a boy. Just before leaving for Crete, and his’ role as a youngster who saves the lives of two English tourists in “The Moon-Spinners,” Michael appeared in “Johnny Cool.” Mat MS-1B TWISTING HAYLEY strikes a modern note while dancing with Peter McEnery at a traditional celebration on the island of Crete, in Walt Disney's ‘The MoonSpinners." The Technicolor feature also stars Eli Wallach and Pola Negri.