Bedtime Story (Universal Pictures) (1964)

Hail Marlon Brando As One Of Hollywood's Foremost Practitioners Of Mimicry (Advance) Some of Marlon Brando’s greatest performances are never recorded by studio cameras. They’re the impersonations he gives, usually only for a handful of friends, to while away between-scenes moments of leisure in the privacy of his dressing room. No one in filmland can zero in on a target more devastatingly, or boasts a wider variety of subjects—animal, vegetable and mineral—for a repertoire. As he has frequently demonstrated during filming of his current romantic comedy, “Bedtime Story,” at Universal, he seemingly can reflect, with mirror-like fidelity, all of a parson’s salient characteristics. The color film OCTET a ee at the 23 eek digits SEAR ey rsa sense Theatre. Scant moments after meeting someone for the first time he can faithfully imitate every mannerism, accent, gesture and inflection. Press interviewers occasionally have been startled out of their customary complacency to hear Brando answer their questions in what sounds exactly like their own voice right down to the last pear-shaped tone. Brando’s co-stars in “Bedtime Story,’’ David Niven and Shirley Jones, were treated to one of his inspired feats of mimicry when he did an impersonation of his own bumbling dog, a St. Bernard behemoth which answers to the name of Toto and at the frisky age of 9 months, already weighs in at almost 200 pounds. “Better than the greatest Oscar performance I’ve ever seen,” appraised Niven, himself an Oscar winner. Brando, who undertakes his first straight comedy assignment in his current film, says he’s been a mimic for as long as he can remember. “The first time I was sent to see the principal, when I was in the first grade,’”’ he nostalgically recalled, ‘““‘was when my teacher happened to overhear me in the hall while I was doing a take-off of her reading of the roll call.” His gift for imitating voices stands him in good stead when strangers somehow manage to learn his unlisted telephone number and call him at home, where he prefers to have his privacy uninvaded. When he first answers the phone he almost invariably pretends to be his Mexican gardener, his Filipino houseboy, his non The noted courtier Jean Louis created a special wardrobe for Shirley Jones cuts an eye-arresting figure neatly perched upon the seashore for a scene in Universal’s hilarious romantic comedy in color, “Bedtime Story.” (Still No. 1934-—P. 21) English-speaking houseguest or his own secretary, female variety. Not until he has established that the call is legitimate does he revert to his natural voice, so highly trained it has played an important part in helping him achieve his present stature as one of the theatre’s foremost actors. Noutical David Niven Sails Own Catamaran To Movie Location (Advance) David Niven believes he can say without fear of contradiction that he is the only motion picture actor ever to arrive on location in a catamaran. For one of the location scenes in “Bedtime Story,’ Universal’s comedy-romance in color starring Marlon Brando, Niven and Shirley Jones, director Ralph Levy chose as a background the lovely Casino de Beaulieu, directly across the bay from David's villa on St. JeanCap-Ferrat, in France. So, when time came for him to go to work, the actor, a former Royal Navy man and an excellent sailor, donned his costume, stepped into his light craft with the blueand-white sails, and skimmed over to the little harbor at Beaulieu. T-shirted sailors and tourists were a little surprised to see a gentleman in black tie and white dinner jacket leap from a catamaran to the dock. But David says he’ll never do it again. “T misjudged the wind and arrived much too early,’ he says. “Nothing to do but have a go at the Casino. Lost half a week’s wages.” “Bedtime: Story -opens.--.2::2 = Fo Wo bl 0 = Bint eet ne Theatre. Actress Divulges Foolproof System For Training Voice (Advance) Dody Goodman says anyone can duplicate the virtually foolproof system she used to learn to become an actress. Dody, now teamed with Marlon Brando, David Niven and Shirley Jones in Universal’s ‘Bedtime Story,” in color, explains she simply took a cue from the late Charles Laughton. “He would pick up a phone book, dictionary, or something similar, and just start reading,” she elucidates. “He managed to put so much drama into his delivery that he could hold an audience in the palm of his hand regardless of what he actually was saying. “It takes hard work to develop such technique, but once you've got it you can consider yourself well on the way to becoming a pro.” Shirley Jones’ co-starring role with Marlon Brando and David Niven in Universal’s frothy romantic comedy in color, “Bedtime Story.” Pictured here are four of the outfits from the film, described from left to right: The dress shows high bodice caught with a bow at the front and round neckline continuing to a low back. The jacket repeats the cut of the dress. The yoke curves to a lower line at the back to widen in a rippled flare. White mink binds the bottom and cuffs. (Still No. 1934—P. 23) Of sheer white wool with shadow check the suit shows slim skirt topped by soft jacket with pegnoir tie belt. The matching straight coat is lined in champagne mink, which buttons on and can be removed according to the occasion or the mood. (Still No. 1934—P. 26) This white wool jersey sheath has the off-white leather belt matched to the leather buttons for fasten ing at one side. (Still No. 1934—P. 24) This coat is a coral basket weave French wool. Coachman style, the cape effect is simulated by wide sleeves buttoning at the sides of the waist with large self buttons. Stand away collar. (Still No. 1934—P. 22) Page 4 Solicitous Shirley Jones discovers that she is in love with Marlon Brando who she is helping recover from a pretended military injury in this scene on a beach of the French Riviera in Universal’s “Bedtime Story.” In color, the hilarious romantic comedy also co-stars (Still No. 1934—101) David Niven. $2.5 Million Gems Are Guarded Well During Screen Use (Current) Security protection without parallel in filmland safeguarded $2,500,000 in rare jewels used for Universal’s ‘““Bedtime Story,” starring Marlon Brando, David Niven and Shirley Jones. The film in color LS NOW: ON-VICWs Ae tne sete ee ae sheatre. Eleven armed guards were posted at strategic points both inside the sound stage and at portals to the quarters. Additionally, a second line of guards, from the studio’s normal complement, were placed on constant alert in case of emergency. Personally selected by Jules Glaenzer, board chairman of the internationally known jewelry firm of Cartier, the assorted jewels, including diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds, are worn by Miss Jones and supporting women players in the romantic comedy. Among the latter, all representing heiresses of one type or another, are Dody Goodman, Marie Windsor, Rebecca Sand and Frances Robinson. Each, in her own way, glitters across the color screen, wearing the genuine gems. Brando and Niven portray lighthearted confidence artists who prey upon wealthy, jewel-encrusted widows visiting the French Riviera in pursuit of romance. Each piece of jewelry to be seen in the film was especially selected to complement the 25 individual costumes created for the picture by noted designer Jean Louis. Wily Seagull Steals Scene From Brando In Bedtime Story’ (Advance) Marlon Brando recently played second banana to a seagull. None of his formidable acting talents proved a match for the upstag.ing tactics of the gull during filming of a scene in Universal’s ‘Bedtime Story,” in which has co-stars are David Niven and Shirley Jones. The sequence shows Brando at the seashore, buried up to his head in sand. The gull, carrying a herring in its beak, was supposed to hover over him, trying to make friends by dropping the fish in his mouth. However, instead of maintaining the flight pattern called for in the script the gull had ideas of his own. He insisted on using Brando’s head as a landing site and then poking the herring in the star’s mouth—an improvement so unexpected that director Ralph Levy decided to use it for the final version. “Best piece of scene stealing I’ve ever suffered through,” ruefully smiled the star. “Bedtime Story,” in color, opens Theatre. Shirley Jones’ compassion for Mérlon Brando’s feigned illness shows itself in this scene from Universal’s spicy romantic comedy in color, **Bedtime Story.”’ David Niven also co-stars. (Still No. 1934—7 AD-F ) Dazzling Diamonds Undergo Dimming (Current) Sometimes things prove ‘too real’ for the screen—a coruscating $650,000 diamond tiara, for instance. It’s worn in all its glittering splendor by Shirley Jones for her role as leading lady for Marlon Brando and David Niven in Universal’s romantic comedy, ‘‘Bedtime Story,” now on view in color PU eUAGci essere rer Theatre. When cinematographer Clifford Stine trained color lenses on the dazzling display of precious jewels, provided by Cartier, of New York, the collective brilliance created highlights much too hot for proper color tone balance. Result: Attendants had to reduce the natural luster by spraying on a thin film of opaque solution mace for just such purposes. More than $2,500,000 worth of diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires are being used in the photoplay. Marlon Brando lolis idly on the beach with curvaceous Shirley Jones protecting him from the angry rays of the sun by adding a touch of skin oil in Universal’s sophisticated celluloid romp in color, ‘“‘Bedtime Story.” (Still No. 1934—100)