The Brass Bottle (Universal Pictures) (1964)

Comedians Emulate Charles Chaplin Says Tony Randall, Star Of "The Brass Bottle” (Advance) Don’t pin the label of conformist on Tony Randall. It’s fashionable in filmland, if you’re a comedian, to yearn for the elysian fields of high drama. Not Tony. “Just about anyone,” he is convinced, “can handle stark tragedy. It takes a higher talent to bring off comedy.” Since Tony, to be seen soon in the hilarious Universal color comedy, “The Brass Bottle,” coming Theatre, has done both, each with enviable results, his words carry considerable weight. He launched his career on Broadway where most of his roles, during the first few years, where straight dramatic assignments. Such things as “The Corn Is Green,” with Ethel Barrymore, and “Candida,” with Jane Cowl. It wasn’t until a comedy came along, “Oh, Men! Oh, Women!” by Edward Chodorov, that Tony got the nod from Hollywood. He since has undertaken a _ wide assortment of roles on the sound stages but his biggest hits have been scored in photoplays in a lighter vein. Audiences are still talking about his portrayals in “Pillow Talk” and “Lover Come Back,” in each of which he kept matters hilariously unbalanced from opening shot to finale. In ‘“‘The Brass Bottle,” in which he co-stars with Burl Ives and Barbara Eden, he carries his comedy talents to the verge of fantasy. He is seen as a struggling young architect who, by chance, releases a genie from captivity. The genie is played by Ives. Most of the comedy situations are provided by the problems created when the genie, making use of procedures thoroughly reliable in his earlier life —some 3,000 years ago—come into conflict with Modern Civilization. For example, when Miss Eden, Tony’s fiancee, departs in a huff, determined never to return, the jinn, taking a cue from the life and times of King Solomon, simply produces a female genie, in the person of Kamala Devi, for Tony to put into his harem. He materializes the adalisque purely as a sample, making it clear that he can come up with any number Tony might desire, even into the hundreds. The jinn is understandably chagrined to learn that monogamy is the only marital state condoned by law. Tony assesses the prospects for “The Brass Bottle” so highly that he has taken a financial interest in the production, making it a Universal-Scarus, Inc., Production. As a lifelong student of comedy techniques Tony takes the view that all comedians—himself included—are basically emulating procedures first used by Charles Chaplin. “Go over the old Chaplin films,’ he says, “and you soon find that everything that’s being done today he did long ago—and in some cases, did it much better.” Since Chaplin is the admitted master in the field Tony believes that contemporary practitioners should openly concede that they are copying his style. “Tt’s no sin,” he holds, ‘for an actor to steal pointers from others. The only sin is not being honest about such thievery.” Is Mother 41 Times (Current) Ann Doran’s usual film assignment is that of somebody’s mother. She’s one again—for the 41st consecutive time—in Univer sal’s hilarious comedy in color, “The Brass Bottle,” starring Tony Randall, Burl Ives and Barbara Eden, currently at the In real life the actress’ role is somewhat different. She’s never been married. While LuLu Porter gets her film break in the Universal comedy in color, “The Brass Bottle,” by doing a specialty dance, she has gained international fame by singing. The co-stars of “The Brass Bottle” are Tony Randall, Burl Ives and Barbara Eden. (Still No. 1930-23 AD) Benj. Franklin Antecedent Of Lovely Barbara Eden, Star Of "The Brass Bottle” (Advance) Leave it to Hollywood to find an intriguing new reason for venerating the memory of Benjamin Franklin. Turns out he’s an antecedent of lovely Barbara Eden. In her family tree, the shapely blonde finds that her grandfather was Franklin’s great-great-grandnephew. Miss Eden will soon be seen at the.................... Theatre with Tony Randall and Burl Ives in “The Brass Bottle,” a rollicking Universal comedy in color. “True, it’s not the closest kinship in the world,” realistically appraises the actress, “but we’re still so proud we’re ready to make the most of what little there is.” Were he around today the aphorist-inventor-statesman, who also enjoyed a considerable reputation as a bon vivant, no doubt would have gazed with special approbation upon Miss Eden. Her contours are of such outstanding proportions that when casting directors were looking for someone to play Marilyn Monroe’s original role as “Loco” in “How To Marry A Millionaire,” for the video version, she got the part without any serious competition. Her eye-popping pulchritude is all the more remarkable in that, not too many years ago, she was so thin her worried family arranged to send her to a farm in Arizona for a year so she could fatten up. Sheepishly, Tony Randall attémpts to explain to his fiancee, Bar bara Eden, and her family, Edward Andrews and Ann Doran, the strange-events created when a real genie from the Arabian Nights attaches himself to Randall in Universal’s hilarious comedy in color, “The Brass Bottle.” (Still No. 1930-55) In “The Brass Bottle,” the story of a genie released from 3,000 years of captivity to face the bewildering complexities of Modern Civilization, the talented young actress has her top role to date. There’s an interesting footnote to her teaming with Randall since in her debut performance before the cameras six years ago, in “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?” in which she did a walk-on, her biggest scene was an episode involving Randall. “Funny thing,” she recalled while making ‘The Brass Bottle,” “but at the time I was doing the part, I had a feeling that some day—I didn’t know how far off— I'd be back with him as his leading lady.” Getting back to her antecedents, the actress relates that from childhood on she was practically brought upon Franklin’s assorted adages and aphorisms. “There’s hardly a situation that he didn’t cover in his pithy sayings,” she declares, ‘and surprisingly enough, they’re just as meaningful and applicable today as when he first wrote them.” Lulu Porter Gains International Fame (Current) LuLu Porter, who makes her film debut recreating a_ longhonored art form—belly dancing —in Universal’s rollicking comedy, “The Brass Bottle,’ teamed with Tony Randall, Burl Ives and Barbara Eden, now at the.............. fies Shoe Theatre, has gained international recognition, not as a dancer, but as a singer. In the fall of 1963, she was selected by the State Department to represent the United States at an international cultural fete in Poland. Her singing so enhanced the listeners in half a dozen cities in that country she was given the “people’s choice” award for her contribution. In “The Brass Bottle,’ Miss Porter is conjured up by Ives, to dance and entertain Randall and Miss Eden. Page 4 Lulu Porter's Film Career Started With Belly Dance In U's ‘The Brass Bottle™ (Advance) LuLu Porter, who excels in an ancient and long-honored art form—belly dancing—thinks women could make their lives far happier if they’d educate their torsos. “Nothing like a few minutes of belly dancing,” she says, “to give that wonderful feeling of complete relaxation—to chase away all tenseness.”’ Her eye-arresting talents at anatomy twirling launches her in her film career in Universal’s funpacked comedy in color, “The Brass Bottle,” coming.......... to the sa icioir eS is oe Theatre. In it, she is teamed with Tony Randall, Burl Ives and Barbara Eden. She plays the part of a transparently clad jinn of sylph-like contours conjured up from the depths of a demijohn by Ives, a genie of the opposite sex who finds himself starved for feminine companionship. LuLu won her role over much competition, and she wasn’t even a professional dancer. She took it up purely as a hobby. Singing is her basic talent. While a home economics major at Los Angeles City College, she would drop in at a Turkish cafe near the campus for coffee, and there fell in love with the exotic dance music she heard. The woman proprietor, herself a one-time belly dancer, became friendly with LuLu. One thing led to another and soon LuLu was doing her own hip-swiveling. But getting back to the prescription for American women. LuLu says it’s practically impossible to describe her specialty in mere words, that only in the dance itself does its esoteric refinements become fully apparent. All the movements involved are basically those a woman would make if she were walking at a rather brisk pace without benefit of a girdle or other restricting garment, she explains. Contrary to popular conception, she hastens to point out, almost no muscles of the belly itself are brought into play in the dance. “The belly has to remain completely relaxed throughout the moves,” she elucidates, ‘‘with muscular effort originating mostly in the thighs.” It is this use of littleused muscles that tend to relax tenseness. In “‘The Brass Bottle,’ LuLu’s costume is basically harem-styled, which means it is highly transparent, and it is one she designed herself. Hundreds of coins are hung on the diaphanous material. These not only dazzle the eye, but also set up an accompanying rhythm matching her anatomical gyrations. The music for the dance is provided by such ancient instruments as doumbeks, ouds and doubukas, as well as finger cymbals, worn by LuLu. Kamala Devi is the tasty female jinn conjured up for Tony Randall by Burl Ives in the hilarious comedy, a Universal Picture in color, “The Brass Bottle.” One of the many comedy sequences is concerned with Randall’s efforts to get her dressed for Modern Civil ization. (Still No. 1930-36 AD) Screenplay Writer Is Filmland Unsung Hero (Current) Plain spoken Tony Randall is never one to mince words. “The real star in an outstanding motion picture,’ he forthrightedly asserts,’ is not the actor playing the lead, but the script.” Randall, who can be seen cursis 218) \igareh Pe Wel a soar mcpepin aearee aa Theatre. in the hilarious Universal comedy in color, “The Brass Bottle,” in which his co-stars are Burl Ives and Barbara Eden, says the public is seldom aware of this but it is something most insiders well know. He contends that although the screen writer is slowly gaining wider recognition for his contributions, he is still, for all practical purposes, Hollywood’s unsung hero. To support his contentions about the importance of the script, Randall cites a commonly heard Broadway saying: ‘When you’re a hit, make sure you never give your understudy a chance to play your part.” As for “The Brass Bottle’— Oscar Brodney wrote the screen play. LuLu Porter, specialty dancer, and her orchestra members playing instruments (and music) of 3,000 years ago, are one of the highlights of the Universal comedy, ‘““The Brass Bottle.”’ The color production co-stars Tony Randall, Burl Ives and Barbara Eden. (Still No. 1930 P. 4)