Happy Anniversary (United Artists) (1959)

Still DN-3 David Niven appears in his first starring role in “Happy Anniversary” since he won the Academy Award last year. Mitzi Gaynor is Niven’s co-star in the United Artists comedy now at the ........ Theatre. David Niven’s First Film Since Winning Academy Award David Niven, starring with Mitzi Gaynor in “Happy Anniversary” at ther ts. Sines Theatre, his first role since capturing the Oscar for “Separate Tables,” was born in Kirriemuir, Scotland, son of Lady Comynplatt (Henrietta de Gacher) and Gen. William Graham Niven. He progressed through the regular prep schools and took the entrance examination for the Royal Navy. On toting up his score, he says, the navy advised him to join the army. His first assignment in the army was with the Highland Light Infantry in Malta, where the hot climate and lack of social life grated on his nerves. Transferred to Dover, he decided that army life was not for him, and he resigned his commission to start a new life in Canada. He worked for several months as a lumberjack then turned to writing. He suddenly found himself in New York without funds and had to earn pin-money by running a delivery service for a Chinese laundry to whom he owed some money. He and a partner bought 120 broken-down polo ponies, saved them from the glue factory and staged pony races at the Municipal Auditorium in Atlantic City. Once his bills were paid, he sailed for Cuba. found himself in the midst of a revolution and hopped a Japanese freighter bound for San Francisco. He met some English cronies in California, officers aboard HMS Norfolk, who invited him to a party on shipboard. Niven wore vine leaves in his hair all evening and slept all day, awakening to find himself 50 miles out to sea. The ship’s commanding officer, an admiral, sent for the bedazed Niven and ordered him to leave. Niven had visions of walking the plank when, through a porthole, he saw a replica of HMS Bounty hove to. The Bounty was being used for the film, “Mutiny on the Bounty” and had been laying in wait for the modern British warship as a publicity stunt. Niven was transferred to the reconstructed frigate, where he caught his first glimpse of the inside of the movie business, This, he decided, was for him. Niven Admits He's An Ex-Cad When he first came to Hollywood and registered as an extra, David Niven filled in the line reading “type,” as follows: “AngloSaxon Cad Type, Ideal for Horsewhipping by Irate Husband.” This unconventional bit of selfevaluation was indicative of Niven’s refusal to take himself or anybody else seriously, and at the same time wholesomely candid. If the addition of years, honors, fame and his first Academy Award Oscar have to a degree tempered some of Niven’s youthful exuberance, they have in no fashion diminished his candor. “I am still,” he says, “the Anglo-Saxon Cad Type, but getting on in years a bit for horsewhipping.” One of Hollywood’s wittiest men, Niven was considered the ideal choice for the role of the husband in “Happy Anniversary,” opening ON.) See MUnthest soot We ts Theatre through United Artists release. “Happy Anniversary,” in which he stars with Mitzi Gaynor, is a sexy, sly, rowdy comedy adapted from the Broadway hit play by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodoroy, and dealing in hilariously frank fashion with th subject of pre-marital relationships. PAGE’ 1.4. Carl Reiner on Film—At Last When Carl Reiner, the engaging young comedian, known to TV audiences as one of Sid Caesar’s sidekicks, reported for work on the set of United Artists’ “Happy Anniversary,” he kept his fingers crossed. A previous unnerving experience was encountered at the hands of Joseph Fields, the author-producer of “Happy Anniversary,” now at then see! Ae Theatre. It happened a couple of years ago when Fields signed him at a nice figure to appear in “Tunnel of Love.” A few days before shooting was scheduled to begin, Glenn Ford dropped out of the picture and there was a two month delay. Reiner was on a six week contract and because of crowding television commitments he was unable to wait around that long, so Fields paid him his full six week salary and never used him. So, in March of this year when Fields announced “Happy Anniversary,” Reiner applied for the same kind of a deal, six weeks salary and no work. What could be nicer? But this time the producer fooled him. He gave him the six weeks salary, all right, but this time he made him work for it. Mat 2A CARL REINER IS TOP “2nd” BANANA The man who was once called “the most talented and_ stylish second banana in captivity” makes a long-awaited movie debut in “Happy Anniversary,” opening on Rae Pte tr cates as Theatre through United Artists release. The erstwhile banana, who also happens to be a light-comedy performer of notable attainment is, of course, Carl Reiner, former sidekick of Sid Caesar. “Happy Anniversary,” which stars David Niven and = Mitzi Gaynor, is a sexy, spicy, rowdy comedy adapted from the Broadway hit play by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov, and dealing in hilariously candid fashion with the subject of pre-marital relationships. Also starring, in addition to Carl Reiner, are Loring Smith, Monique Van Vooren and Phyllis Povah. A Fields Production presentation, “Happy Anniversary” was produced by Ralph Fields and directed by David Miller. Although “Happy Anniversary” marks Reiner’s debut appearance before the cameras, it happens to be his second screen contract. On the first occasion, a couple of years ago, he had the unhappy experience of collecting a salary for doing nothing. “Nothing,” he says in summation, “is worse than being paid for doing nothing, except not being paid for doing nothing.” In “Happy Anniversary” he got paid for doing plenty, including making torrid—and very funny— love to Monique Van Vooren in a night club scene. “That is not nothing. That is something.” Still HA-72 Mat 1A Carl Reiner, one of TV’s favorite comedians, fills the first major screen role in his career in the co-starring spot with David Niven and Mitzi Gaynor in “Happy Anniversary,” the comedy hit at the ..... Theatre. PATTY A HIT ON STAGE AND SCREEN Patty Duke, the 10 year old moppet who plays the daughter of David Niven and Mitzi Gaynor in “Happy Anniversary” at the...... Theatre is no typical theatre-brat. Most of this terrifying breed are looked upon with mild horror by actors, directors and others who have to work with them, but at the end of five weeks shooting, David Niven and Mitzi Gaynor as well as director David Miller would have been delighted to adopt Patty for keeps. Patty, who stands a mere 54” tall, is a pretty child with a crown of golden hair which she wears in two beribboned braids. She has in the past five years appeared in almost every medium of show business—movies, television and the stage—and she insists that working in the movies is the thing she likes most. With her appearance in “Happy Anniversary” garnering laughs and plaudits on screens across America, Miss Patty herself is now taking bows nightly to the tumultuous applause of theatre audiences acclaiming her stage performance as young Helen Keller in “The Miracle Worker.” A miracle, indeed, for so young a star, MITZI GAYNOR RIDING HIGH IN NEW STAR Still HA-P-5 Mitzi Gaynor co-stars with David Niven in the hilarious new screen comedy, “Happy Anniversary” at the heatre. BAS 0-8 ee ne hy wae) ele ee Mitzi Gaynor, starring with Dayid Niven in “Happy Anniversary” United Artists release due at the Snepeiarelcosrs Theatre was born in Chicago, but her family had migrated to Detroit when she was three and despite the impressive moniker, Francesca Mitzi deCzenyi von Gerber which denoted noble ancestry, she grew up in that Motor City a typical healthy, happy American child. Mitzi made her first try at the professional theatre when she was only 13, but she convinced Edwin Lester, impresario of the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera Company, that she was 16 and she landed a role in the musical “Song Without Words,” subsequently remaining with it when it played Broadway under the title of “Music in My Heart.” She eventually appeared with the Civic Light Opera in “Roberta,” “The Fortune Teller,” “Song of Norway,” “Louisiana Purchase,” “Naughty Marietta” and “The Great Waltz.” Before her appearance in “The Great Waltz,” Mitzi had begun to think of a film career and had, indeed, appeared in a role in “My Blue Heaven” with Betty Grable and Dan Dailey at 20th CenturyFox. But after the great critical acclaim she reaped in “The Great Waltz,” Darryl Zanuck offered her a roseate contract. Her name was changed from Gerber to Gaynor. Although her salary reached $1,500 a week and her pictures were boxoffice hits Mitzi became discouraged with her career. She felt that she was in a rut and was BRIGHT ROLES Mat 2D not getting the kind, of roles she was capable of doing. At this point in her life, Fate with a capital “F” took a hand. She met Jack Bean, a handsome, energetic and personable young industrial public relations counsellor who fell so deeply in love with her that he started to rebuild her interest in life and in her career. By the time that “There’s No Business Like Show Business” hit the local screens — with its attendant uproar of approval — Mitzi Gaynor was a chic, streamlined glamor girl and the hottest personality property in the movie business. She was also, by this time, Mrs. Jack Bean. Starring roles followed such as in “Anything Goes,” with Bing Crosby and Donald O’Connor; “The Birds and the Bees” with George Gobel and with David Niven with whom she was later destined to co-star in “Happy Anniversary”; “The Joker is Wild” with Frank Sinatra and Jeanne Crain. With her appearance in the coveted role of Nellie Forbush in “South Pacific,” Mitzi Gaynor reached new stature. In the same way, Mitzi Gaynor’s current assignment opposite David Niven, is another challenge and another step upward in her development as an actress. “Happy Anniversary” based on the Joseph Fields-Jerome Chodoroy stage hit, provides her with a role demanding high-comedy technique and a real expert sense of balance between hilarious humor and warm downto-earth honesty. Monique Van Vooren Belgium's Beauty-And-Brains Gift To U.S. The statuesque Monique Van Vooren is of that rare genre, a beautiful girl whose I.Q. is as impressive as her physical dimensions. Monique is one of the happiest results of the State Department’s cultural program, having come to the United States from her native Belgium as an exchange student in 1950. Excepting a few intermissions of brief duration, she has been stateside ever since. Her current film venture is a top role in “Happy Anniversary” a United Artists release starring David Niven and Mitzi Gaynor now at the saitteks Neck oes Theatre. In addition to her aforementioned beauty and brains. Monique boasts an assortment of talents: she is a linguist, speaking four languages fluently (English, Italian, French and Dutch) and having a working knowledge of Latin and Greek; she majored in Philosophy at college, and is something of an epistomological expert. The outdoors type, she is adept at every sport she has tried and is a quondam holder of the Belgium figure skating championship. She also boasts an exceptionally fine singing voice and, of course, has won a variety of beauty titles, both here and abroad. Monique made her first big impression on New York audiences when she appeared on the Broadway stage in John Murray Anderson’s revue, “Almanac,” with Billy De Wolfe and Hermione Gingold. Her appearance in the musical created such a stir that Monique was besieged with nightclub offers, and she subsequently appeared at leading clubs everywhere,