The Truth About Spring (Universal Pictures) (1965)

John Mills, Now In ‘The Truth About Spring, Has Done More Than 60 Films (Current) Averaging two film starring roles a year for more than 30 years, interspersed with work on the stage and in television, John Mills has evolved a three-part credo for lengevity of a professional in today’s world of mass communications. Currently he is starring with his daughter Hayley Mills and James MacArthur in the romantic comedy adventure, ‘The Truth About Spring,’ a Universal release in Technicolor now at the Asi Wig ie RS pe Be ee See Theatre. His credo: variety of characterizations; variety of medium— films, theatre, television; and limits on the public’s invasion of privacy. And John Mills is one star who practices what he preaches. Mills has divided his thespic time between films, the Broadway and London stage, and more recently, television, the latter through a company formed with five other noted players including his daughter Hayley, Six Star Television. As for the screen, Mills has been an international star through outstanding roles in some of the cinema’s classic productions. Included in this list are “Goodbye Mr: Chips.) in} Which we Serve,” “Great Expectations,” “Tunes of Glory,’ and ‘War and Peace.” He has appeared with his daughter in her first picture, “Tiger Bay,’ and one of her more recent ones for Universal, ‘‘The Chalk Garden.” He also has been in two previous pictures with James MacArthur, “Swiss Family Robinson” and ‘The Light in the Forest.” John started his career as a dancer in the chorus of the London musical, ‘Five O’Clock Girl.” Soon he graduated from _ the release photographed in Technicolor. Hayley Mills and her romantic interest James MacArthur prepare chorus to starring roles in musicals. But somewhere along the line, he decided he wanted to be a dramatic actor, and he turned down a starring musical comedy role to play Puck in “Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Old Vic. From that, he worked himself steadily upward. Touring the Far East with a repertory company, in China he met a red-headed schoolgirl who made no impression whatever on him. But some years later, the red-head, now grown into actress Mary Hayley Bell, met John again in London, and_ shortly after they were married. Mary gave up her acting career, and turned instead to founding a theatre dynasty—and to writing. She has written successful plays and novels while bringing up their two daughters, Hayley and her older sister Juliet, who also is an actress, and Jonathan, the baby of the family with no career ambitions—as yet. And through the years, John has stuck to the third of his credo. As he points out, if he were walk'ng on the street and was not recognized, he’d be happy. “Because I’m a character first, and a personality second,” he declares. “The Truth About Spring,” was produced by Alan Brown and directed by Richard Thorpe. two partners, John Mills guards his boat with a shotgun as James MacArthur and Hayley Mills return from a romantic night marooned on a nearby island in the comedy adventure, “The Truth About Spring,” a Universal (Still No. 1951-74) SPRING” 13. for a swim in the ocean as a regular part of their idyllic existence in the adventure comedy, ‘The Truth About Spring,” a Universal release photographed in Technicolor. John Mills also stars. (Still No. 1951-33) Having been starred in more than 60 movies, John Mills for the first time on the screen plays the father of his famous daughter, Hayley Mills, in ‘‘The Truth About Spring,” a Universal release in Technicolor. (Still No. 1951-105) Need 4 Languages To Shoot ‘Truth™ On Spanish Coast (Current) When producer Alan Brown selected the Spanish Costa Brava as the location for his Hayley Mills John Mills James MacArthur starrer, “The Truth About Spring,” he anticipated few language problems. He himself speaks fluent Spanish after acting as associate producer to Samuel Bronston in Madrid for six years, and his Anglo-Spanish crew was carefully sprinkled with bilingual technicians. The picture, photographed in Technicolor and released by Universal is now at fil a spec iti ere dee Eg ee Theatre. Problems started when it was discovered that no tugs were available in Spain to haul the company’s floating sets and rostrums to sea each day. A French tug had to be added to the company’s equipment, and its crew spoke French, of course. Then it was discovered that the local fishermen supplying the company with small craft could speak only Catalan, and the problems multiplied. Catalan is a language apart although it owes a lot of its structure to the French and Spanish languages. Consequently the picture which started out to be so simple was made in four languages—Spanish, French, Catalan and English — although America’s James MacArthur and Britain’s Hayley Mills have a running battle about even that list. Hayley says it should read: Spanish, French, Catalan, English and American! Hayley Mills Has Ist Adult Love Scenes In Truth About Spring’ (Advance) Hayley Mills received her first screen kiss from Peter McEnnery in “The Moonspinners.” Now, in “The ‘Truth About. Spring,” James MacArthur shares her first really adult love scenes. The Uni versal release in Technicolor GOMECGE SS eee TOSMENGs es ee eG Theatre. How did she feel about those love scenes with MacArthur, the night on a beach, the love scene in the woods, the kisses on that slippery deck of the little fishing boat ? “Well, nervous, to tell the truth,’ Hayley admitted. “You don’t get embarrassed about things like that, there are too many people around—fixing your make-up, adjusting the lights, watching to make sure a plane isn’t going to pass over and ruin the ‘take’, telling you exactly how your hand was lying on someone’s shoulder in the previous ‘take’. “But they’re usually photographing that sort of thing in close-up, and as the director calls for action you start thinking, ‘Gosh, how awful if we bump noses’, and then suddenly it’s all over and you don’t have to think about it any more.” “The ‘Truth... About =Sprine”’ was photographed in Technicolor on location in Spain, and also stars Hayley’s father, John Mills. Page 4 Still Not Ready For Serious Romance Says 18-Year Old Screen Star Hayley Mills (Current) Interviews with 18-year-old star Hayley Mills invariably start with questions about her plans for marriage and her reply, ‘I’m just eighteen, I have lots of things I want to do before I start thinking about marriage! “T really don’t understand why everyone seems to attach so much importance to my being eighteen now,” she says. ‘“Personally, I felt my seventeenth birthday was the real growingup milestone. That seemed to be somehow the end of childhood proper but no one asked me about love and marriage then. Now, suddenly, since my eighteenth birthday it seems that no one can think of anything else. “Personally, I think that eighteen is much too young for serious romance and how can I possibly say what sort of man I would marry until I finally meet him ?” Another question that seems to arise constantly is that of Hayley’s career. Would she continue with it after marriage? Her answer is constant and firm. “That depends on my husband,” she says. “If he didn’t want me to, then of course I wouldn't. Even if he didn’t mind my having a career, it would have to come second to my marriage. It’s not just a question of marriages not lasting when husbands and wives are apart all the time, it’s quite simply that I don’t see much point in two people getting married if they don’t want to be together always. I wouldn’t.”’ Hayley, as the daughter of British actor John Mills and his playwright wife Mary Hayley Bell, has grown up in show business with the rare advantage of a really happy family background. Her 22-year-old actress sister, Juliet, now married to American actor and songwriter Russel Alquist, recently presented Hayley with a nephew, Sean, and her 14-year-old brother, Jonathan, is still at school. While Hayley and her father were working in Universal’s “The Truth About Spring,” now at 15 6 -Vularaioctt aN See nanny aaah Theatre, Mrs. Mills commuted between their rented villa in Spain and their London home. She wanted to be home for Jonathan’s half-term holidays, to help daughter Juliet with her packing for a trip to America and still spend every available minute with John and Hayley. “It’s always been like that in our family,” says Hayley. “When we were little we followed Daddy all over the place when he was filming. The moment the school holidays started we were off. We like to keep the family together and we’re really unhappy when we're apart. “You see, that’s what I mean about marriage. Until you find someone you simply can’t bear to be parted from there really isn’t much point in it, is there?” “The Truth About Spring,” a Universal release in Technicolor, was produced by Alan Brown for Quota Rentals Ltd. Richard Thorpe directed. Hayley Mills decides to give up her nomadic existence roaming the Caribbean when she falls in love with Harvard graduated lawyer James MacArthur in the romantic comedy adventure, “The Truth About Spring.” John Mills also stars in the Universal release which (Still No. 1951-87) was photographed in Technicolor. OTHE TRUTH ABOUT SPRING [2-4] Partners in sharing the treasure map owned by John Mills (right), Lionel Jeffries and Niall MacGinnis argue over the distribution of the gains even before they have the treasure in the romantic adventure “The Truth About Spring,’ a Universal release photo graphed in Technicolor. (Still No. 1951-76)