The Brass Bottle (Universal Pictures) (1964)

Plu-Perfect Type Casting; Burl lves As Arabian Nights Genie In The Brass Bottle’ (Advance) For a plu-perfect example of type casting gaze upon 300pounder Burl Ives as he pursues his filmic chores with Tony Randall and Barbara Eden in “The Brass Bottle.” The hilarious Universal comedy in color comes to the. Theatre Starting) a. oe eee Clad in dazzling Oriental raiment he plays the part of Fakrash-el-Aamash, a genuine Arabian Night genie complete with bag of important miracles. No one but Burl, according to director Harry Keller, could look so convincing in the role. The make-up department was quick to bolster this view. It was not necessary to make a single change in his appearance, Burl’s neatly trimmed = goatee’ and matching moustache—(which he wears normally)—ideally suitine the characterization. In most of his previous screen assignments film makers have dropped a subtle hint that it might be well for him to consider paring off some of his rotundity. But not for “The Brass Bottle.” Exactly the contrary held true. Seems the genie looks most genielike when he’s incontrovertibily corpulent. When the actor was told that he could put on as much weight as he chose, he knew he finally had found the part he had always wanted. Burl makes no bones about his love for food. On the set, there’s seldom a moment when he’s not munching on one delicacy or another. Here, too, the portrayal was right down his alley. The part called for him to be constantly nibbling on _ succulent savories. In “The Brass Bottle,” tailored by scripwriter Oscar Brodney, Burl is let out of his involuntary prision, where he has been held captive for several thousand years, by Randall, seen as a struggling young architect. Out of sheer gratitude Burl naturally wants to reward his benefactor, and loses no time setting about it. To his utter dismay, he finds that almost everything he does comes into open conflict with Modern Civilization. As one of his first gestures, he conjures up a camel caravan saden with costly gifts which marches up to Randall’s suburban home. The police are not far Drink For A Genie (Current) When a genie goes up to a bar, what kind of a drink does he order? The technical crew came up with an answer for a scene in Universal’s rollicking comedy in color, “The Brass Bottle,’ now at the Theatre. In it, the genie is portrayed by Burl Ives. He’ll ask for—what else ?— a jinn fizz. Devi Wears Harem Gown In New Film (Advance) Kamala Devi’s harem costume for her role with Tony Randall, Burl Ives and Barbara Eden in the fun-filled Universal comedy in color, “The Brass Bottle,”’ coming Theatre, may start a whole new trend in women’s nighties. Designed by studio stylist Rosemary Odell, the eye-catching outfit is fashioned of material that is opaque under ordinary light. Under artificial iJumination, however, the fabric becomes highly transparent. A noted New York apparel manufacturer who visited the set they day Kamela made her spectacular appearance in the harem raiment was so intrigued he is now trying to obtain clearance to duplicate the costume for commercial use. The peek-through material was custom woven for the _ studio stylist. Only by using the fabric in double weight can the transparency be eliminated. TTHE BRASS BOTTLE, (1-Bf As the genie released from 3,000 years of captivity in “The Brass Bottle,” Burl Ives’ attempt to apply Solomon’s era to Modern Civilization provides much of the comedy in the Universal picture in color. (Still No. 1930-6 AD) behind. There are traffic tickets for obstructing vehicular flow. Also an investigation as to the source of the gold bullion in one of the chests. Another inquiry into a trunk brimful with unset jewels, undoubtedly smuggled into the country since there is no record of purchase. When Miss Eden, seen as Randall’s fiancee, walks out in a huff following a slight disagreement, Burl, whose jinn vintage goes back to the days of Solomon, materializes a lovely female genie of the shapely person of Kamala Devi, who volunteers to join his harem. When angered or rebuffed, Fakrash-el-Aamash is not above turning men into mules, or, as on one occasion, into a school of goldfish. “Not a man jack among us,” says Burl, “who hasn’t dreamed of having our slightest wish come true. Looks like I’ve come as close as I'll ever get.” THE BRASS BOTTLE” (1 Barbara Eden is the fiancee of Tony Randall until the latter opens “The Brass Bottle’ which releases an Arabian Night genie, Burl Ives, in the Universal picture in color. (Stull No. 1930-14 AD) Barhara Eden's Eyes Are True Chameleon (Current) No question about actress has MHollywood’s “colorful” eyes. It’s Barbara Eden, who can be seen currently starring with Tony Randall and Burl Ives in the Universal comedy, ‘“The Brass BOURe a aU RGN e oak seu ve iter eee Theatre. Her eyes are true chameleon. This means that, according to the reflection of the clothes she wears, they alternately turn gray, green and blue. And since “The Brass Bottle” is photographed in color, and since Barbara’s wardrobe is a Joseph’s coat of colors, the various hues in her eyes are in evidence. which most Twice Other Actors Contends Burl Ives (Advance) No one can argue with Burl Ives’ tongue-in-cheek contention that he’s almost “‘twice” the actor of anyone else in the cast of Universal’s fun-filled comedy, “The Brass Bottle.” The color film He simply points out his impressive bulk—300 pounds plus —and says that ounce for ounce this is close to double the weighing in mark of any other member of the cast. 300-Pound Star Burl Ives Allowed To Add Weight As ‘The Brass Bottle’ Genie (Advance) Few actors finer than Burl Ives amble the Hollywood pike, and so when he says he’s finally found a role he can put all of his 300 pounds into it’s well to cock an attentive ear. The ex-hobo balladeer, who nabbed an Academy Oscar for one of his portrayals, plays the role of a gent named Fakrash el-Aamash, appearing with Tony Randall and Barbara Eden in “The Brass Bottle.” The Univer This is admittedly an off-beat moniker, but no more so than the characterization. He’s a_ genie, genuine Arabian Night _ style, straight out of a brass bottle where he has been held captive for untold centuries. Randall, seen as a young architect, breaks the seal that had held him confined, and little does he realize precisely what he had set in motion when the genie, out of sheer appreciation for his release, tries to adapt his formidable skills to Modern Civilization. When Randall’s intended bride, Miss Eden, walks out in a huff, Fakrash knows exactly what to do. He conjures up a wide assortment of female jinns, each wearing little more than a few transparent veils, and makes a gift of them to his liberator. The genie is highly chagrined to discover that monogamy is the only legal pattern of life in the world today, being forced to the conclusion that the bigamous ways of yesteryear were far superior. In another measure of gratitude. the genie conjures up a treasure chest filled to the brim with gold bullion, representing a fortune well above the milliondollar mark. The broad smile on his countenance is turned into bitter disappointment on being told that federal law decrees it a felony to possess gold in such form. On one occasion he materializes a herd of camels, and again a parade of elephants, only to learn that in the era of freeways and the motor vehicle the police tend to frown upon such beasts cluttering the highways. Burl’s’ well rounded girth stands him in good stead as Fakrash-el-Aamash. His principal costume is an Oriental style robe, fastened at the middle with a sash, and the greater his bulk, the more impressive he looms. Up until “The Brass Bottle” came along, the actor usually had been requested to try to pare off twenty to fifty pounds for his various portrayals. Thus, when director Harry Keller gave him the word that, if he liked, he could add the same amount, he knew his big chance had arrived. Page 3 Barbara Eden Expresses Appreciation For Career Help Given By Hollywood (Advance) Blonde and beautiful Barbara Eden is brandishing the cudgels against those who label all Hollywood a silk and satin jungle where the in-fighting is so furious no one has time to lend a helping hand. The chameleon-eyed actress, who will be seen... eit SUNG aria ee cae Theatre, playing the feminine lead opposite Tony Randall and Burl Ives in the happy comedy, “The Brass Bottle,’ a Universal picture in color, says she has only to look back at her own experiences for refutation. Now firmly established as one of filmland’s most promising new talents, Miss Eden recalls that during her earlier years, when she was most in need of an assist, she got it from many sources. “Lucille Ball, for one,” she says, “was positively wonderful to me. Ill never forget how she went out of her way to be nice. For one of our appearances together the wardrobe department had fitted me with an outfit Lucy thought didn’t do me justice. “She had a wardrobe girl buy a special dress and then she personally supervised having it properly adjusted and fitted with rhinestones for an extra touch. Apart from everything else, she also took it upon herself to give me many technical pointers, basics of which Iwas totally unaware. I have been using the techniques she taught me ever since.” Miss Eden who first gained public attention for her portrayal of near-sighted Loco, the provocative blonde in the T'V series, “How To Marry A Millionaire,” relates that still another person she’ll always keep in her personal hall of fame is Jan Sterling. “We were in a scene,” she recalled on the set of “The Brass Bottle” which is the story of a genie released after 3,000 years of confinement, “where Jan was standing in back of me. I just naturally turned by head to talk to her and she called out and said, ‘Honey, don’t look at me. I want that pretty face to show in the camera. I don’t care about mine, you just look right out front toward the camera.’ I was so touched, I almost cried.” Barbara, who was born in Tucson, Arizona, and brought up in NRE BR | PYRE BRASS BOTTLES (h-Eyo © Barbara Eden, who traces her ancestry way back to Benjamin Franklin, is the romantic interest of Tony Randall in Universal’s comedy in color, “The Brass Bottle.” Burl Ives is the other co-star. (Still No. 1930-P. 8) San Francisco, at 14, enrolled in the San Francisco Conservatory of Music to develop her talent for singing. A little later, she decided to become an actress and enrolled in an evening drama class. Then, while majoring in English and music at San Francisco City College, she was offered a scholarship in dramatics. After several appearances in little theatre presentations, she moved to Hollywood, and, while living at the Hollywood Studio Club, sought a job as a singer, but without success until she was signed as a chorus girl by Ciro’s where she was spotted by an agent. TV appearances and other roles started coming her way. She had come to Hollywood in 1954. Three years later, she was signed to a long term contract by 20th Century-Fox, and assigned the role in “How To Marry A Millionaire”’ series. She’s been busy in TV and feature motion pictures since. wT AS Tony Randall attempts to explain Modern Civilization to Kamala Devi who has just been conjured from the Arabian Nights period by Burl Ives, a genie released from 3,000 years of incarceration in “The Brass Bottle,” Universal’s fun-packed comedy in coler. Tony Randall In Every "Brass Bottle” Scene (Current) No question about the size of Tony Randall’s role in “The Brass Bottle” in which he co-stars with Burl Ives and Barbara Eden. The fun-loaded Universal comedy photographed in color, is now at the secs dae deat abe eee Theatre. There are an over-all total of 158 separate scenes in the film, which was directed by Harry Keller, and Tony is in all but one of them. And in the sequence in which he is not seen, he still appears— as an off-stage voice. (Still No. 1930-78) Goddess Of Love (Current) If exotic Kamala Devi becomes one of the great sirens of the screen, as seems imminent, she comes equipped with precisely the right name. In translation, her name means—goddess of love. Kamala, now at the Theatre, teamed with Tony Randall, Burl Ives and Barbara Eden in the Universal comedy in color, ‘‘The Brass Bottle,” is half East Indian, half English. Her father is a brain surgeon in Bombay.