This Earth Is Mine (Universal Pictures) (1959)

This Film Crew Now Know Their ‘Oaks~ (Advance) California’s famed Napa Valley may be one of the most beautiful areas in the nation, but visitors had better know their shrubbery on some of the surrounding mountain slopes or else suffer the “rash’’ consequences. As was the case with UniversalInternational’s location company of “This Earth is Mine’ when they moved to a mountainside vineyard at St. Helena for a number of shots featuring Rock Hudson and Jean Simmons. Before the company had finished clambering up and down the slopes, fully 40 per cent of them had contracted poison oak. Fortunately for the shooting schedule, however, neither star was affected by the rash. “This Earth is Mine,” starring Hudson, Miss Simmons, Dorothy McGuire and Claude Rains, and introducing the “champagne blonde,” Cindy Robbins, opens It was directed by Hollywood’s famed 40-year veteran, Henry King, from Alice Tisdale Hobart’s story of a robust American wine dynasty, “The Cup and the Sword.” In Technicolor and CinemaScope, it is a Universal-International-Vintage production, was co-produced by Casey Robinson and Claude Heilman, with Edward Muhl, Universal vice president and studio head, as executive producer. of loveliness, the shortest beauty in last year’s Miss America contest, makes her film debut opposite 6 foot, 4 inch Rock Hudson in Universal International Vintage’s “This Earth Is Mine.” Hudson costars in the CinemaScope and Technicolor drama with Jean Simmons, Claude Rains and Dorothy McGuire. (Still 1885-EX2) Jean Simmons comes to America from England to live with matriarchal aunt, played by Dorothy McGuire, and kindly, powerful grandfather, played by Claude Rains, in this key scene from “This Earth is Mine.” The film is lusty saga of an American wine-making dynasty, with Rock Hudson as the rebellious scion of the family who flaunts tradition to deal with bootleggers in attempt to save grape-growing empire. The picture is a Vintage production from Universal-International, and is in CinemaScope and Technicolor. Tiny Actress Looks Up In Screen Debut (Current) The shortest girl in last year’s Miss America contest, Jean Blake, makes her movie debut in ‘This Earth Is Mine,’”’ the Universal-International-Vintage production, PLOW. CN Coo iaccecees esse oa Theatre, playing opposite the tallest man in the cast, Rock Hudson, who stars in the CinemaScope and Technicolor drama with Jean Simmons, Claude Rains and Dorothy McGuire. The five-foot-two-inch tiny darkhaired beauty represented Illinois at the famous pulchritude pageant after her selection as Miss Photoflash by the Chicago Press Photographers. The 21-year-old former Chicago model did her first scene with Rock, who towered over her at six feet, four inches tall. “It was very exciting,” recalls the young actress, ‘“‘although everyone kept calling us ‘Mutt and Jeff.” “This Earth Is Mine” also introduces two other talented young newcomers, Cindy Robbins, playing a featured role, and Tammy Windsor. The picture was directed by the famous Henry King, and produced by Casey Robinson, who wrote the screen play, and Claude Heilman. (Still 1885-69 ) 3 Grandmas Find Way To Help Make a Movie (Current) Movie fans may demand new faces in front of the cameras, but behind them, on the technical side, many veterans ply their trade and boast of grandchildren. During the filming of ‘This Earth is Mine,” the big UniversalInternational picture now at the See a ae Reel theatre, three hardworking grandmothers played important roles out of camera range. Marie Osborne, costumer on the film, has four grandchildren. Herself something of a celebrity, she was better known to film fans as Baby Marie 35 years ago, has been in one field or another of motion pictures ever since. Faye Chaney, body makeup expert, also boasts four grandchildren, and has been in the movie industry almost as long as Baby Marie. Her father, Bert Hadley, one-time actor now retired, was one of Hollywood’s first professional makeup men. The third grandmother is Costumer Lee Forman, a comparative newcomer, with a mere 10-year movie industry record. She has one grandchild. FOR YOUR GENERAL INFORMATION “This Earth is Mine,” a Universal-International-Vintage production, stars Rock Hudson, Jean Simmons, Claude Rains and Dorothy McGuire under the direction of Henry King. The picture was produced by Casey Robinson and Claude Heilman, partners in Vintage Productions, with Edward Muhl, U-I vicepresident in charge of production, serving as executive producer for Universal-International. The Casey Robinson screenplay is based on the novel by Alice Tisdale Hobart, ‘‘The Cup and the Sword,” published by Bobbs-Merrill Co. This marks the second teaming of King and Robinson, who served as director and scripter respectively on “The Snows of Kilimanjaro.” It also marks King’s first picture away from 20th Century-Fox since he signed his contract there more than 20 years ago. Produced in CinemaScope and Technicolor, more than half of the film was shot on location in the vineyards and wineries of Napa Valley, the story being a family saga which takes place in the largest vineyard in the world. Over a half dozen vintners, whose names are given only to more exclusive brands bought by wine connoisseurs, made their vast holdings available to the location company. Among these were Charles Krug of St. Helena, the Inglenook, Beaulieu and Schramsberg vineyards and the Louis Martini estate. Virtually the entire Napa Valley was used to background the story. One helicopter Page 6 shot covered the valley in a single scene. The multi-million dollar epic marks the first appearance of Rock Hudson before the cameras since the nation’s number one boxoffice star made “Twilight For The Gods.” His vacation from acting was well deserved (before the latter film he had completed an arduous location with Jennifer Jones in David Selznick’s “A Farewell to Arms’’) and merely a breather before another long work period. Hudson has since completed a romantic comedy, ‘Any Way the Wind Blows,” opposite Doris Day, for Arwin Productions and Universal. Jean Simmons’ role of Elizabeth, the moody “cousin” who falls in love with Hudson despite a terrible conflict between them, and the further barrier of a presumed blood relationship, may be one of her last. Miss Simmons and her husband have both indicated that they expect to retire to the ranch in Arizona in the near future. Other recent pictures in which she has been starred are “Home Before Dark,’ with Dan O’Herlihy, and “The Big Country” opposite Gregory Peck and Burl Ives. Following ‘‘This Earth is Mine” Miss Simmons was called upon by Bryna productions and Universal to assume the feminine lead in “Spartacus” opposite Kirk Douglas. Other leading roles in that film are played by Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton, Tony Curtis, Peter Ustinov, John Gavin, Nina Foch, John Ireland and Charles McGraw. Claude Rains portrays the patriarch of the wine family in ‘‘This Earth is Mine” in an appearance which marks his first at Universal since he starred in ‘‘The Invisible Man” in 1933. His last Hollywood film was “Sealed Cargo” in 1951. The character star, who has been commuting between America and the continent since then for stage and television performances, will be remembered for his dynamic portrayals in both romantic and character roles in such hits as “Casablanca,” “Deception” “Four Daughters,” “King’s Row,” “Now, Voyager” and ‘Anthony Adverse.” Dorothy McGuire portrays Rains’ daughter, female ruler of the wine-growing empire. Miss McGuire recently starred with Clifton Webb in “The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker” and before that was teamed with Fess Parker in Walt Disney’s “Old Yeller.’’ Her husband is portrayed by Kent Smith, whose latest releases include “Imitation General” and SmareyiGir l= Henry King, whose phenomenal directorial career began with “Tolable David,’ also directed such hits as “Stella Dallas,” “State Fair,” ‘Seventh Heaven,” ‘The Song of Bernadette,” “A Bell for Adano,” “Twelve O’Clock High” and “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing” and is still in high gear with “The Sun Also Rises” and “The Bravados” preceding ‘This Earth is Mine.” A veteran flyer of his own aircraft, he celebrates his 40th anniversary as a pilot coincidental with the start of the Napa location. Kent Smith Fibs Slightly As He Tells of Background To Enhance Movie Career (Current) There appears to be a slight case of fabrication in the professional biography of talented actor Kent Smith, who is featured with Rock Hudson, Jean Simmons, Claude Rains and Dorothy McGuire in the Universal-InternationalVintage CinemaScope and Technicolor production, ‘‘This Earth Is Mine,’ now at the Theatre. It isn’t very serious, however, claims the classically handsome 6-foot-tall performer. “I was born Frank Kent Smith,” he explains, “but figured Kent was fancier and would dress up a name like Smith!” His birthplace, too, admits the actor, gets kicked around a bit during an interview. He was actually born in New York City, but in a moment of weakness he’ll say that he first saw the light of day in Smithville, Maine, because that locale is, of course, the seat of a long line of Smiths, including his father. Smith insists those are the only two fibs he’s ever told, because he claims they’re too hard to remember. He’s one actor who readily admits that the stage and screen both share in his professional affections, and his thriving motion picture career is proof of what years of theatrical experience and training can do. Smith matriculated at Harvard with the class of ’29. Here he had a fling at crew and squash and the Harvard Dramatic Society. His acting ambition attained realization after he left the academic life with the University Players at West Falmouth, Mass., where other dramatic young hopefuls included Henry Fonda, Margaret Sullivan, James Stewart, Bretaigne Windust and Mildred Natwick. David Belasco gave him a job on Broadway in “Blind Widow,”’ the leading man being Clark Gable. He understudied with the The atre Guild, his female counterpart _ being Katherine Hepburn. When he was 22, Smith played opposite Helen Hayes one season in “Caesar and Cleopatra.” Later he played in ‘“‘Dodsworth” with Walter Huston and Fay Bainter. He appeared opposite Katharine Cornell in “Candida”, “THIS EARTH 1S MINE” (1+ Talented veteran of both stage and screen, Kent Smith tops the featured cast in “This Earth Is Mine,”’ Universal International Vintage’s powerful drama of a wine dynasty. He plays the husband of Dorothy McGuire who co-stars in the CinemaScope and Technicolor film with Rock Hudson, Jean Simmons and Claude Rains. (Still 1885-EX3) along with Brian Aherne in “St. Joan,’ and with Miss Cornell again in “Winged Victory.” Smith, out of Army khaki late in 1945, film-debuted as Ann Sheridan’s leading man in ‘‘Nora Prentiss,” which was followed by film assignments in “The Voice of the Turtle,” ‘This Land Is Mine’ and “the Spiral Staircase,’ after which he divided his time almost constantly between New York and Hollywood commitments. Sandwiched in between film acting in “The Fountainhead,” “The Damned Don’t Cry,” “Sayonara,” “The Badlanders,”’ ‘‘Imitation General,” “Party Girl’ and his latest, ‘“‘The Earth Is Mine,” are major roles on the stage in the Lillian Hellman play, “Autumn Garden,” “Wisteria Trees” with Helen Hayes, “Good Housekeeping,” again with Miss Hayes, “The Tender Trap” and “Bus Stop.” His fine singing voice got him starred in “Call Me Madam”’ for the Los Angeles Civic Light Opero Company and in “Paint Your Wagon” at the Dallas State Fair. Not content with acting and singing, Kent Smith took on production chores when he restaged “St. Joan,” with Siobhan McKenna for the Broadway opening. Climactic Scene in ‘Earth is Mine Recalls Big ‘33 Events (Advance) Twenty-five years to the day, after the actual event occurred, they shot a historic scene at Universal-International studio. The day was December 5, 1933, which marked the repeal of Prohibition, and the scene was shot December 5, 1958, as one of the climactic sequences of ‘‘This Earth is Mine,” saga of family conflict within a wine dynasty. The picture, in Technicolor and CinemaScope, stars Rock Hudson, Jean Simmons, Dorothy McGuire and Claude Rains, with Cindy Robbins, and is scheduled to open on See oes al-the....-.......2...theatre. Henry King, veteran of 40 years in films, and director of ‘This Earth is Mine,” recalled that 1933 was a historic year for entertainment generally, and especially for the movies. It was the year of the Chicago World’s Fair and Sally Rand; the year James Cagney, a young upstart, shocked fans by pushing a grapefruit in Mae Clarke’s face in ‘Public Enemy,” and also the year Mae West had as her leading man a newcomer with considerable potential named Cary Grant. They were making big musicals in those days, and the great Ziegfeld Follies comedian, Eddie Cantor, could be seen that year in “Roman Scandals.” On the serious side, John Barrymore was doing the film version of ‘Counsellor at Law,” the Paul Muni stage hit. Joan Crawford and Clark Gable also were teamed in ’33 in ‘““Dancing Lady.” Some of the popular songs introduced in 1933 included ‘‘Temptation,” “Sophisticated Lady,” “Let’s Fall in Love,” “Stormy Weather,” “Smoke Gets in Your Byes,” “The Carioca,” “The Last Roundup,” and _ finally — ‘‘Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” In 1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated as 32nd president of the United States, Adolph Hitler became chancellor of Germany and Albert Einstein emigrated to the United States. On Broadway the big plays were ‘‘Tobacco Road,” “Another Language,” “Pursuit of Happiness” and Eugene O’Neill’s “Ah, Wilderness.” In 1933 Rock Hudson was a grade school youngster in Winnetka, Ill.; Jean Simmons was a mere toddler; Dorothy McGuire was a high school freshman; Claude Rains was a famous movie star, and Cindy Robbins had not yet been born. “This Earth is Mine” was adapted by Casey Robinson from the novel, ‘‘The Cup and the Sword,” by Alice Tisdale Hobart. Robinson and Claude Heilman are coproducers of the picture, and Edward Muhl, vice president of Universal-International and head of Universal Studio, served as executive producer.