A Twentieth Century-Fox CinemaScoPpE ProductionWWISED Production Cast and Credits 6/1/54 ~~ A CinemaScope Production THE EGYPTIAN Produced by.... Directed by.... Screen Play by. Darryl F. Zanuck Michael Curtiz Philip Dunne and Casey Robinson Mike Waltart Alfred Newman Bernard Herrmann From the Novel by. MUBLG a ayssce eae Color by De Luxe Director of Photography. Art Direction. Leon Shamroy, ASC ‘(Lyle Wheeler George W. Davis Set Decorations... HiesSbeasecervanies chMBlter Me poobt Paul S. Fox Special Photographic Effects Ray Kellogg Film Editor... Wardrobe Direction Orchestration.. Vocal Supervision. Choreography by... Makeup Artist. Hair Styling by AGunAy esse t bas Barbara McLean, ACE Charles Le Maire Edward B, Powell Ken Darby Stephen Papich Ben Nye Helen Turpin (Alfred Bruzlin Roger Heman Leonard Doss lizabeth Riefstahl William Eckhardt Norman Stuart Bausch & Lomb Color Consultant. Technical Adviser. Assistant Director Dialogue Coach... CinemaScope Lenses by Jean Simmons Victor Mature Baketamon.., Gene Tierney Akbnaton.... Michael Wilding Nefer.... Bella Darvi Kaptah...... Peter Ustinov Sinuhe...... Edmund Purdom TAL... se 4e Judith Evelyn Mikere lenry Daniell Grave Rol John Carradine Senmut (Carl Benton Reid ‘Thoth, ‘Tommy Rettig Nefertiti Anita Stevens Donna Martell + .Mdmi Gibson ii. .Garmen de Lavallade :.Harry Thompson +.(George Melford Lawrence Ryle seeee(Tiger Joe Marsh Karl Davis .+Tan MacDonald t:Peter Raynolds :sMichael Granger +.Don Blackman {Joan Winfield voMke Mazurki Lady in Waiting . First Princess. Egyptian Dancer Nubian Priests. Libian Guards.... Ship's Captain, Sinuhe (age 10) Officer........ Nubian Prince.. Governess...... Death House Foreman.FROM: 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. 444 West 56th Street New York, N. Y. \ SYNOPSIS of "THE EGYPTIAN" This is the story of a man who dwelt in ancient, mysterious Egypt 33 centuries ago, a man of flesh and blood no different from ourselves. His name is Sinuhe (pronounced Sin-oo-he) (EDMUND PURDOM). He's an old man as he writes his story op papyrus from his place of exile on the desolate shores of the Red Sea. "Soon the jackals and vultures will make a poor meal of me." he relates, "but nothing can silence the voice in my heart. For I, Sinuhe, am one with all humanity, I shall live in human tears and laughter, in Justice and injustice, in weakness and strength. As a human being I shall live eternally in mankind, "I began 1ife--as I am ending 1t--alone.” As he writes, his story unfolds. "I rode alone on the bosom of the Nile--in a boat of reeds daubed with pitch and tied with fowlers' knots. Thus the city of Thebes was accustomed to dispose of its unwanted children." The tiny reed boat ig taken from the stream by Senmut (CARL BENTON REID) and his wife, Kipa (ANGELA CLARKE), (pronounced Sen-moot and Kee-pa) who feel that the gods have answered their prayers and sent ‘them a son. "Little did they guess," writes Sinuhe, “what evil this gift of the gods would bring them." Senmut is physician to the poor of the city and lives among them by choice. From the rich he could command princely fees, for he alone in Thebes is master of the ancient art of opening skulls. At the age of nine Sinuhe helps with the delicate operations and forever asks why a patient will live or die. He never gets a satisfactory answer because, as Senmut says, "No one knows." Sinuhe is accepted as a student in the School of Life, whose high walls are adorned with statues of animal-headed gods. For ten years, while Egypt lay prostrate in terror before her many gods, Sinuhe serves in the School of 1ife that he might become a physician. At his graduation, fat priests with shaved heads, sacrifice an animal to a Stone animal god, and while Sinuhe bows down before them to receive an amulet around his neck, his mind still asks his earlier question put to his father. He looks contemptuously at the gleaming oiled bodies of the fat priests and is warned to be careful by a nearby military cadet, Hor-em-heb (VICTOR MATURE), also graduating. (more )Synopsis of "THE EGYPTIAN" aD Sinuhe, Horemheb and several other cadets go to "The Crocodile's tail" tavern to drink to their future, Sinuhe as a physician, Horemheb, in his own bombastic words, as a great warrior who will "carry the gold- en whip and lead you all into battle." Unaccustomed to drink, Sinuhe gets drunk and is laughed at by the cadets, some of whom pelt him with fruit, A beautiful serving girl, Merit (Mer-eet) (JEAN SIMMONS), comes to his aid, breaks a jug over a cadet's head and orders Horemheb to take him home. In a short time Sinuhe sets himself up as @ physician far from his father's house, lest he steal his patients. He soon learns that even the poor stay away from so young a physician. In a futile attempt to save @ life of a slave who has been crushed and abandoned, he acquires a servant, Kaptah (PETER USTINOV), a rascally, one-eyed slave. It is Kaptah who warns Sinuhe that Merit is in love with him and intent on marriage. on the night that Pharach Amenophis the Third dies, Sinuhe and Horemheb are drinking in the tavern where the cadet is morosely cursing his fate. Because of his lowly birth, a cheesemaker's son, he has been refused an appointment in the Palace Guards. He says while mincing idiots rule Egypt the Hittites arm to conquer her. Longing for any kind of physical action, Horemheb takes Sinuhe in his chariot to the hills outside Thebe in pursuit of a lion. Merit cautions Sinuhe to be careful. In the hills a young man, Akhnaton (MICHAEL WILDING), frail and ascetic, is facing the dark east, praying intently. He is oblivious as a lion pounds toward him, which is killed by a well-placed arrow from Horemheb's pow. As the sun appears Akhnaton (pronounced Ahk-en-ah-ton) says "God is coming" and pitches forward in an epileptic fit. Sinuhe stuffs cloth in his mouth so he will not choke as they take him back to the city. As they approach Thebes, armed soldiers, led by a high priest arrest Sinuhe and Horemheb. They are led into the Throne Room where, it develops, Akhnaton reigns as the new Pharaoh. As the embodiment of the living god, he is inviolable, to touch him punishable by death. But because he is man of peace, he spares them over protests from the high priest and offers Sinuhe appointment as physician to the royal household. Sinuhe has to decline because he wants to serve the poor in honor of his parents who found him in a reed boat, Queen Mother Taia (Tah-ee-ah) (JUDITH EVELYN) and her handsome daughter, Baketamon (Bah-ket-ah-mon) (GENE ‘TIERNEY), study Sinuhe's face carefully as he relates his story. Akhnaton agrees to let Sinuhe serve the poor on condition he come to the palace whenever he or his family have need of him, He then presents Sinuhe with a beautiful gold necklace and grants Horemheb an appointment in the Palace Guards, although he swears there never will be war again. As they leave the palace Horemheb says that Baketamon makes his blood burn and he knows a place where they can find amusement. He takes Sinuhe to the house of Nefer (Neh-fer) (BELLA DARVI), a beautiful Babylonian, where a party is in progress. Horemheb pulls one of the girls into the garden but Sinuhe has eyes only for Nefer. Her wig is blue, powdered with silver, but her eyes are as green as those of the big Cat which is always with her, Sinuhe knows that rich men bring her presents for as little as a smile but she fingers the Pharaoh's collar around his neck and asks him to stay. He becomes Nefer's lover and now (more)Synopsis of "THE EGYPTIAN" acts as a man consumed with a dread sickness, to the despair of both Kaptah and Merit. He neglects his patients and gives Nefer all his worldly goods, including his surgical instruments. Baketamon seeks out Horemheb, telling him he must resuce his friend from the woman who has stolen his wits. She wants Horemheb to betray Sinuhe by making love to Nefer and she gives him her beautiful asp braceiet with ruby eyes as a gift to Nefer from Horemheb. Horemheb cannot fathom Baketamon's interest in Sinuhe. He eyes her her insolently, saying someday she'll strip her body for him. The next time Sinuhe presents himself at Nefer's gate he is refused admission. He shakes the bars in a frenzy and forces his way inside and finds Horemheb there. Horemheb pleads he has only been trying to show Sinuhe how foolish he is, they quarrel and Horembeb leaves. Sinuhe stays and begs Nefer for her favors..She demands the deeds to his foster parents humble home and their tomb, which means their immortality. Crazed with love for her, Sinuhe goes for the deeds and forces Merit, who can neither read nor write, to put her mark on them as a witness. She stares at him in horror, praying that the gods will have pity on him. Sinuhe presents the deeds to Nefer saying that from now on he is the most accursed of all men but that she must keep her promise of love. She laughs at him and in a blind rage he grabs her throat and holds her head under water in her lotus pool. she is rescued by slaves who beat Sinuhe before throwing him out. Senmut and Kipa commit suicide, leaving a note to their adopted sor blessing him as the greatest joy of their lives. Brought to his senses, Sinuhe works night and day in the gruesome House of Death to pay for the proper embalment of his parents' corpses. Buried in this under- taker's house of horrors, he does not know that Akhnaton has been seeking him to perform a’ brain operation on one of his little daughters. When his parents are made ready he takes their bodies to the Valley of the Kings, near the Royal Tombs, hoping they may share the wealth of the Pharachs in the other world. Merit finds him there and, proving her love, comforts and gives herself to him, "I wanted an answer to the riddle of life," he tells her," and Nefer gave it to me. No longer will I ask 'why', becuase I know. Men deserve injustice, deserve their cruel priests and evil gods. For we are vile. At dawn Merit is gone but Horemheb and Kapteh find him to tell him he must flee from the Pharaohs wrath. With the faithful Kaptah, Sinuhe travels far and wide, continuing to practice as a physician. He becomes rich, serving only the rich, Years later in the land of the Hittites he finds them making weapons of a strange strong metal--iron--in preparation for war against Egypt. In return for performing @ successful operation upon a Hittite commander, Sinuhe gets possession of a sword of this metal. (more)Synopsis of "THE EGYPTIAN He takes the sword home to Egypt and finds the land stricken by drought, famine and disease. Many blame Akhnaton for their misery because he allows only the worship of one god, Aton, making the other gods angry. Sinuhe is seized and taken before Queen Taia and Baketamon. Taia, near death and a little drunk on beer, shows him a reed mat she is naking with fowlers' knots. She says She came from an illiterate and vulgar family of bird-catchers but the Pharaoh loved her because she was strong and lusty and made her one of his wives. Being ambitious, she vowed no other wife should bear him a son until she had done so. Her first child was proud Bakematon. The Pharaoh never saw any wife's male child until Taia's second, Akhnaton, was placed in his arms, Baketamon continues the story, saying that one of her father's wives had borne a male child three weeks before Akhnaton's birth and that the mother had been handed a dead girl baby while, presumably, the rightful heir to the throne was set adrift on the river. It could have been Sinuhe but he refuses to acknowledge her story. mae Sinuhe looks up his old friend Horemheb, now commander of the Army. Horemheb says that the priests have deliberately destroyed Egypt because the Pharaoh has taken their power, Only the army is loyal but Akhnaton will not let him use 1t against the enemies within. Sinuhe tells of the news of the Hittites' war preparations, saying that he will show proof to the Pharaoh. He shows Akhnaton the Hittite sword but he cannot believe it. Akhnaton has sent the Cross of Life to the Hittites, promising his friendship. He will not condone war, believing in his merciful God of Love. As they leave, Akhnaton stands, a pathetic, lonely figure. Leaving the palace, Sinuhe and Kaptah visit the new temple to Aton, the one God, where many of the poor and oppressed worship. He finds Merit there and she takes him to his father's house that she has bought. He meets her son, Troth (TOMMY RETTIG) whom she says she has adopted. The ten-year-old boy says that he intends to be a physician one day too, Kaptah guesses the truth--that this is Sinuhe's son--but promises Merit he will say nothing. Sinuhe continues to serve the rich but every night he makes his way to merit's humble house--the first time he has found a home in many years, But he cannot agree with Merit on Aton, the merciful God, and they decide never to discuss religion. One evening, a disease-ridden woman comes to the house, asking medical help, It is Nefer--her beauty gone forever. Sinuhe can save her life but he cannot save her beauty and when she offers him the asp bracelet in payment he tells her there will be no fee, He feels only pity now for this woman who has ruined his life, Merit sees this and knows he has accepted her God. Sinuhe is called to the ailing Akhnton who has been deserted by his wife and friends. Akhnaton asks Sinuhe if he is mad because now the Hittites are on the borders of Egypt. Sinuhe says that his madness is more beautiful than the wisdom of other men but he says that he must give Horemheb order to fight. Anknaton refuses, saying he wants to die (more)Synopsis of "THE EGYPTIAN" 5 for the sake of his God and truth. When Sinuhe goes to Horemheb this time he agrees with the priests that Akhnaton must die for the good of Egypt. Sinuhe must prepare a potion that will give him sleep without pain. Horemheb will marry Baketamon, whom he has long desired, and vill becomes Pharaoh. Sinuhe calls them hypocrites and cowards but goes to mix the potion. Baketamon, who has always wanted Sinuhe, begs him to marry her because as her half-brother he is the rightful heir. That night Sinuhe again visits the Valley of the Kings and, holding a mirror sees the striking resemblance between himself and the statue of the old Pharaoh. But he speaks aloud to Senmut as the only father he ever knew and loved, begging for guidance in this deed they ask of him for Egypt's sake. When Sinuhe learns that the priests are going to attack the devotee of Aton in the temple he goes to rescue Merit, telling her they will marry and take the boy and leave Egypt. The mob breaks in and Troth is wounded and Merit killed. As she dies he realizes that the boy 1s his son and he promises to care for him. Bitter, Sinuhe believes that the madman in the palace is responsible for her death and he tells Horemheb that he is ready to use the potion he has mixed, He gives Kaptan his worldly possessions, telling him to raise the boy as his son if he does not hear from him. With Horemheb he goes to Akhnaton to ask him to drink with them. Akhnaton Grinks first End dies speaking words of wisdom and love. Sinuhe tells Horemheb to claim Baketamon and mount Pharach's throne. As for himself, Sinuhe says that Akhnaton has persuaded him for- ever that evil can never be good. He will go forth among the people and speak of the living God who made them all. Only this truth is immortal. And a golden light bathes the figure of old Sinuhe as he finishes writing his scroll of his search for truth---thirteen centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ. eet 6754SRJ1FROM: 20th Cent ‘ox Film Corp, Wh West 56th Street New York, N. VITAL STATISTICS on DARRYL F, ZANUCK'S For the first time in the history of Hollywood, the turbulent story of an Egyptian era 1h centuries before Christ is brought to the screen in "The Egyptian," Darryl F. Zanuck's personal 20th Century-Fox picturization of the best-selling novel by famed Finnish writer Mika Walteri. Epic in its spectacular depiction of the book, which reaches back authen- tically across 33 centuries to record man's first fumbling conception of a single living Goa; at the same time poignantly human in its moving depiction of the everyday life, loves, conflicts, greeds, Jealousies and hopes of the people of its time, "The Egyptian" marks an unique milestone in the annals of film miking throughout the world, ‘Trail-blazer Zanuck ("The Grapes of Wrath," "How Green Was My Valley," "Gentlemen's Agreenent," "Pinky," "All About Eve," "David and Bathsheba," "The Robe") had to organize a complete revolution in film making before he was ready to dramatize "The Egyptian" on the screen. As soon as he had read Waltari's novel, he knew he had to make it into a notion picture -- his first personal production since he made "The Snows of Kilinan- Jaro" three years ago. For two years, he puzzled over how to do the book justice, but it was not until he converted 20th Century-Fox to CinemsScope and ran the first rushes of "The Robe,” that he had his answer. For Dr. Henri Chretien's anamorphic Jens had made it possible for the first time, to bring to motion pictures the depth of feeling end impact along with the panoramic scope and pageantry that was neces- sery to transmit to audiences the meaning and social and religious significance of Waltari's book. ‘The advent of CinemaScope did more -- it revived the interest of the public in motion pictures, brought them back into movie theatres in droves, and thus made it possible for Zanuck and 20th Century-Fox to invest more than $5,000,000 in the pro- duction of a single CinemaScope film, “The Egyptian," with Color ty Deluxe. Zanuck's decision to undertake the film as his personal production for 1954 was strengthened by the knowledge that the book is a great spiritual story. It is laid in the time of the Pharaoh Akhnaton (1338 to 1358 B.C.), the first Pharach in recorded history to discard the tenet of personal divinity; the first to discard the worship of Egypt's numerous animal-headed god idols in favor of monotheism--in its first appearance in the vorld. Akhnaton vas also the first Pharechic monogemist in an age of rampant polygamy. Historians affirm thet Akhnaton, born Amenophis IV, ‘the son of Amenophis the Magnificent (who was one of the great conquerors and rulers of his time), formated the beginning of men's. belief of today in one all-powerful God in heaven. So advanced was Akhnaton in his moral thinking that his religious songs are a direct forebear of several of the great Psalus, as his prayers were of some of the most famous prayers in the Bible. Many, including Freud, believed the spiritual gropings and effirmations of Akhnaton-who is credited with being the first to say "Love Thine Enemies" end "Thou Shalt Not Kill" -- to be the teacher of Moses!Aside from the story of Akhnaton himself, Zanuck felt that the entire era would interest others as it did him, because Eaypt has always been regarded as one of the great cradles of civilization. In making "The Exyptian," he saw an oppor- tunity of bringing to life a colorful era from civilization's infancy, which had never before been filmed. He knew it had to be done not merely as a "costume" picture, not as a "period" picture, not as an "historical" picture, but as a picture which would take Weltari's penetrating human understanding of en Egyptian as a man, and transmit it intact to a theatre audience. CinemaScope would accomplish this in the physical sense, but he still needed the dramatic key which would convert a basically narrative book into the dranatic form so necessary to the screenplay. After several months of conferences with Acadeny Award-winning screenwriters Philip Dunne end Casey Robinson, Zanuck had his "anamorphic" story device: that of tying everything together into the central idea of men's search for truth. So the basic ingredient of this fabulous story, both on the screen, as in the book, is the life story -- from childhood to old age -- of one man, Sinuhe, the Egyptian, whose search for truth enmeshed him in var, love affairs, world travel, murder, and, eventually, spiritual peace. In relating this one career, hovever, "The Egyptian" is, in reality, five different stories. It is the story of Sinuhe (Edmund Purdom), the physician unaware ‘that he has the blood of the pharaohs in his veins. It is the story of Sinune the orphan and his search for an ansver to the troubles of man, an answer he finds in the teachings of Akhnaton (Michael Wilding). It is the story of Sinuhe (pronounced Si-noo-ee) and his boyhood friend Horemheb (Victor Mature), who follow different paths, one ending in wisdom, the other with all earthly power. It is the story of the devotion of Sinuhe's thieving, wily, captivating slave, Keptah (Peter Ustinov) to his master, And it is the story of the three loves of the man Sinuhe: his violent infatuation with Nefer, the Babylonian temptress (Bella Darvi), his sharp ‘and bitter love for the Princess Baketamon (Gene Tierney), who turns to Horemheb (Victor Mature) in revenge; and his full, requited love with Merit (Jean Simmons). ‘Throughout these stories there is no villain, no "heavy" in the Hollywood sense. Each character has his understandable viewpoint. But the story offers its audience a feast of emotions: ambition, love, cyniciom, hatred, despair, and finally triumph. The picture's greatest challenge, production-wise, ley in the fact that, because nothing in this era had ever before been filmed, there were no sets standing which could be re-built, no single prop or costume or jewel which could be rented, re-made, renovated, or borrowed, and no research compiled. This meant that EVERY- THING for "The Egyptian" had to be created from scratch. While this took added time, involved enormous expense, it proved an advantage in that everything could be aimed specifically for the needs of the film, rather than being adapted or renovated from another picture. ‘THE DIRECTOR When Zemuck first contemplated making a picturization of "The Egyptian," he found himself faced with the problem of finding a director who could blend the talents of the film's seven co-stars -- Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Gene Merney, Michael Wilding, Bella Darvi, Peter Ustinov and Edmund Purdon -- with the multiple aspects of the great pre-biblical story.The solution proved to be Michael Curtiz, whose record as a versatile maker of motion pictures is unriveled in the industry. As mich at home in spectacle filns, musicals, heavy draza, comedy, sports and suspense pictures -- and a blending of all of these comprises “The Egyptian" -- Curtiz also has a wey with actors and technic- tans which consistently results in the finest of performances -- both thespian, and in such technical fields as photography, sound, lighting, special effects, costuming and interior decoretion, Fortunately, Curtic had just wound up his long contractual association with Warner Brothers, and Zanuck was able to sign him to direct the $5,000,000 CinemsSecpe De Luxe Color picturizetion of "The Egyptian" before Curtiz' new Paramount contract went into effect. Tt was not the first time Zanuck and Curtiz had worked together, for the pair of famous film makers first met on the Warner lot when Curtiz directed one of then-screenvriter Zanuck's first scripts, "The Million Bid," vhich had such a long end successful run that writer Zanuck vas promptly made Producer Zanuck on a film called "Foreign Legion." Curtiz came to the 20th Century-Fox lot in time to spend six full months on Yesearch and preparation for the gigantic film, which he calls “The most difficult picture I've ever directed -- and the most rewarding." It's difficulties lay in that no motion picture of this era ever having been made before, Curtiz had to supervise the vast activities on the lot for the creating of “The Egyptian." With 67 major sets, seven stars, tvo dozen featured players, 87 other speaking roles and over 5,000 extras used, Curtiz worked tirelessly around the clock for six months prior to start of filming, and for the duration of shooting which be- gan on March 3rd and wound up on May 7th, 1954. Curtiz not only tested actors for every speaking role, but took full CinemaScope tests of every set, prop and costume in the picture -- a procedure never Yefore done in the history of filmiom -- chalked up a total of more footage (24,000 feet of film) for film tests alone than make up two full-length topnotch productions for release. His perfectionism resulted not only in authenticity but in meking "The Egyptien" a film of unparalleled dramatic impact and epic beauty. The Academy Award-winning director ("Casa Blenca" and a short subject, "Sons of Liberty"), three-times named "Champion of Champion Directors" in Fame: Listing, end whose "This Is The Army" won second place only to "Gone With The Wind” in Variety's 1946 listing of "33 All-Time Top Grossers" and poured $9,000,000 into the coffers of the U.S. Army Relief Fund, had a major setback in starting "The Egyptian" when Marlon Brando, originally set for the title role in the picture, walked out on the production without a word or any reason cher than the belated one that he was ailing, thus delaying start of the production from its original early January date to March 3rd, when, after a dramatic world-wide search for a suitable actor, Edmnd Purdom was set to portray “The Eeyptian. Director Curtiz held three weeks of daily budget meetings with the heads of the 42 20th Century-Fox departments concerned with the preparation of "The Egyptien." These were necessitated by the fact that over 5,000,000 separate items, objects and costumes had to be created for the picture. Less than two dozen pieces, including ‘the throne chairs of the Pharach Akhnaton and his Queen, Nefertiti, were borrowed from the Eayptology collections of the 20 Museums which cooperated with the studiooh. on this production, and with the exception of the Brooklyn Miseum's Cairo-made actual reproductions of the Tutankhamen Throne Chairs (in which Gene Tierney and Judith Evelyn sat in the Throne Room sequence) were loaned to the studio Just long enough so they could be reproduced on the lot. ‘The two-year research job on "The Egyptian" was the most thorough in the 26-year tenture of Frances Richardson, as Director of 20th Century-Fox' Research Department, Since no film had ever before been made of the era, the documentation for the creation of the 67 sets and 5,000,000 objects had to be researched from scratch for the 42 departments. Miss Richardson and her assistant, Miss Gertrude Kingston, went through nearly 500 volumes covering every aspect pertinent to the life of Akhnaton's era in Egypt and its six subject countries. Fifty-nine of them Covered Babylonia and Assyria; 1 on Crete, ete. Not a page or a line could be skipped, since it might contain vital information, They underlined, photographed, photostated a sentence here, a paragraph there, whole pages and chapters. ‘This material was given first to Producer Zanuck, to scensrists Robinson and Dunne, to Director Curtiz. Copies of pertinent information vere distributed to Art Directors Lyle Wheeler and George Davis, to Wardrobe Director Charles LeMaire, to Set Decorators Walter Scott end Decorator Paul Fox, to allied departments like the building, plaster, mill, handprops, lighting fixtures, special effects, ete. To make doubly sure that everything that could be authentic would be, Director Michael Curtiz, at the suggestion of stylist LeMaire, who had gone to New York on his ow to do Egyptian costume research at the Brooklyn and Metropolitan Museums, and at Chicago's Oriental Museum secured the services of Mrs. Elizabeth Riefstehl, Assistant Curator of Egyptology at the Brooklyn Miseum, as Technical Ad- visor on “The Egyptian," for two months prior to the picture's shooting. Mrs. Riefstabl, the author of numerous monographs on Egypt -- "Patterned Textiles in Ancient Egypt," "Toilet Articles from Ancient Egypt," "People of the Black Land - Egypt", "Egyptien Writing," "Do You Want To Learn Eyyptian," "Egyptian Hieroglyphs," "Ancient Egyptions at Play," "Ancient Egyptians at Work," "What Ancient Egyptians Wore," etc. etc. -- on her first Hollywood assignment, was amazed and delighted at the technical skills and inventiveness shown by Hollywood workers in reproducing and adapting costumes and settings and properties of a by-gone era. What impressed her most was "their genuine desire to achieve authenticity wherever possible in 'The Egyptian,’ and you may quote ne on that, and the fact that this was one of the most interesting, rewarding, and most appreciated experiences of ny life." The authentic props and sets of “The Egyptian" of course, are due to the fact that the period of Akmaton is one of the best-documented eres in history, ‘thanks to the excavation of Egyptian tombs in the past few centuries. Discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1799 and Chempollién's subsequent translation of its hiero- glyphics gave the studio volumes of information about Egypt. Sir Flinders Petric's early archeological probings, the finding in 1878 of 350 clay tablets, most of them found to be letters that pasced between Akhnaton and his father, and Akbnaton and various subject chieftains of Syrian, Babylonin, Hittite and Cyprian lend; the 1903 excavation of the tomb of Thutmose IV, Akhnaton's paternal grandfether at These; the 1905 excavations of Yusa and Tuau, Akhnaton's maternal grandfather and grend- mother; and of his mother Queen Taiai (Judith Evelyn's role in "The Egyptian"), followed ty the discovery in 1922 of the tomb of King Tutankhamen, Akhnaton's suc- cessor, not only electrified the world, but provided, in the books written about‘them, in the reproductions which abound in the volumes, in the photographs from every angle and scale measurements cooperatively sent to the studio by such famous Miseums as The Cairo and Alexandria Museums of Bgypt; the Metropolitan and Brooklyn, N. Y., the Oriental, Natural History and Field Miscums of Chicago; the Boston Miseum of Fine Arts; the National and The Louvre, Paris, France; the British National Museum, London; the Berlin State Museum, Germany; the Constantinope Museum, Turkey; National Museum, Athens, Greece; Archaelogical Museum, Florence, Italy, andthe Los Angeles Museum, Sample of the lengths to which the studio went for prop authenticity lay in the opening "School of Life" sequence of "The Egyptian,” where Art Directors Wheeler and Davis wanted an Egyptian God of Scribes to dominate the huge auditorium. The Brooklyn Museum sent its original four-and-a-querter inch statue of the God. Famed sculptor George Snowden, N.A., faned as a Prix de Rome winner and for his many sculptural monuments throughout this country and Europe, was commissioned to create ‘en 18-foot high replica of the original. Snowden, who aid the five life-size groups of statues for “The Robe," made four different scale models before he was ready to have the four-ton finel sculpture cast. Snowlen also created the giant Sphynxes and statues which decorate the Throne Room set of “The Egyptian.” Mrs, Ricfstehl's contribution toward the authenticity of the picture was taken for granted, but her most surprising contributions vere toward an overall il- lusion of ancient Egyptian life, where absolute archaelogical correctness would look either dead or ridiculous to modern eyes. Make-Up Director Ben lye and Head Hair Stylist Helen Turpin, for instance, worked for months in creating Bella Darvi's real hair wigs dyed blue and red, and discovered they didn't look real. At the Technical Advisor's suggestion, they started anew, creating wigs of a combination of shiny and dull braid, Jute, yarn and other fabrics, which photographed more real than genuine hair. The bejeweled wigs, in fact, became such a legend in Hollywood, that other studios making Egyptien-background films, asked to see them, and Miss Turpin, who created the wigs for the feminine players in "The Egyptian," was given screen credit for the first time as a token of Zenuck's appreciation of her artistry. Director Curtiz hed other headaches in a choice between authenticity and ‘the tllusion of it. The Egyptians of 3300 years ago, for instance, were rerely more than five feet tall. With all over-six-foct stars in the film -- Nature, Wilding, Ustinov and Purdom -- they would obviously need a shoehorn to get the actors into one of the authentic Egyptian chariots. The chariots, therefore, were copied authentically in every detail except size, which was enlarged to accommodate that of the players. Crowns worn by the kings and queens, their thrones -- except for the ‘Tutankham throne chairs which accommodated Miss Merney and Miss Evelyn -- military shields, standards, bows and arrows, etc., all underwent corresponding enlargement, but were authentic replicas in every other respect. A few "boners" will be obvious in the picture to all students of Egyptol- ogy, and these were necessitated ty deference to the sense of the ridiculous in con- temporary eyes, For instance, Eqyptien men of this era used as mich make-up as wonen, which would obviously appear effeminate to an audience today. Another, is that upper class Egyptians, who wore wigs in public, had their heads shaved as bald asa billierd ball. ‘The idea of seeing Akimaton, his Queen and their three little daughters all bald-headed in an intimate family scene, or Sinuhe caressing the “beautiful bald head” of Nefer, as he does in Waltari's novel, would get nothing but laughs. ‘The bald heads, thus, were confined to Henry Daniell, and other High Priests of the Pharach's court.For similar reasons, tvo-tine Academy Award-winning stylist Charles TeNaire ("All About Eve," "The Robe,") adapted rather than copied exactly the Baypt- ian costumes of Akhnaton's era, The fabulously beautiful costumes and jewelry he created (for the first time in Hollywood history a single stylist, LeMaire, designed not only costumes and jewelry for both men and women, stars and extras alike, but also footwear, shields, trappings of warriors, etc.) are authentic in spirit, in line, in color, but necessarily not in certain details, Unlike the ancient Greeks and Romans, the Egyptians rarely represented People in the nude, except for very young chiléren and occasional young dancing girls. Egyptian costumes, however, are usually depicted on reliefs and sculptures deing so transparent, the body showed through, with great frequency, also, showed ‘them bare from the waist up, the men wearing short or long pleated kilts, the women often wearing nothing but a necklace above the waist. Obviously, no censor would pas such @ scene, nor would a present-dey audience accept it, even in the spirit of antiquity. So Director Curtiz and Designer Lel/aire compromised on an occasional arechested slave as plausible and passable, ruled out scenes where hundreds of play- ers would walk around semi-nude as detracting and distracting from the story. Le¥aire devised costunes of a transparency that approximated with amazing fidelity the sheerness of garments depicted in ancient friczes, ‘The fabrics, some imported, most specially voven, weve sent to New York for the intricate pleating for which special forms had to be wade, since the elaborate pleating (some costumes had six different types of pleating) was a virtual trademari: of the era. In the opinion of fashion-wise star Gene Tierney, Lelaire's costumes for ‘The Egyptian" will set a new fashion trend in modern clothes, jewelry and footwear. Stylist Letaire, who is also Wardrobe Director of 20th Century-Fox, em- ployed a total of more than 500 extra needlevonen, beaders, fitters, jewelers, nilliners (to make crowns, headdresses, hair ornaments, helmets, ete), sandal-makers, to outfit the stars, featured players and 5,000 extras in the production, for over {vo months--en all-time record of wardrobe employments for a single motion picture, This was after a year of research, of finding proper cloths and having them woven, of making sample outfits for inspection of Producer Zenuck and Director Curtiz! Despite the few deviations from authenticity made necessary for such reas- ons as have been shown, “The Egyptian," for the most part, is fabulously authentic, according to Mrs. Riefstabl. For example, the crook and the flail that the Pharach holds (in place of the modern-day kingly sceptre), are copies of actual ones found in the toub of King Tut, ‘he strange crown of Nefertite, which no other Queen is ever shown in, was copied from the famous bust of Nefertite found in Tel el-Amarna, the city built by Akbnaton. The bust of Nefertite, formerly in the Berlin State Museum, found hidden in the Salt Mines after World War II, and now in the Allied Sector of Berlin, was the inspiration elso for the casting of beautiful Anitra Stevens, whom Director Curtiz found, has Nefertite's exact profile, Athnaton's red end white double crown (representing Upper and Lover Egypt, and when worn together, as in "The Exyptian," representing Egypt's unification), is also copied exactly from the many friezes, sculptures and paintings of him. Because ‘the Pharaohs had everything, including the Egyptian kitchen stove, buried with them so that they might Journey into the after-life with the familiar comforts of home accompanying them, copies of every household and palace knicknack and decoration, of a physician's tools, a musician's instrument, a lady's portable cosmetic chest,all were accurately depicted in "The Fayptian."” In fact, the picture's greatest pro- duction debt goes to the noted archaeologists, Euyptologists and historians who un- earthed, translated and interpreted and thus provided the wealth of research mater- ial which enabled the wizards of the movies to recreate tie era of "The Egyptian" ‘from their works end the beautifully researched novel by Waltari. \UTHOR OF “THE EGYPTIAN’ ABOUT MIKA WALTART, Build a better mouse trep -- or write a better novel in any language from Sanskrit to Scandinavian -- and the world will beat a path to your door, That's what happened to Mika Waltari, a Finn, who wrote his book, entitled in his native language "Sinuhe Egyptilainen Viisitoista Yirjaa Leaker Sinuher Elemasto," in 1945. It was translated into eight Buropean languages and sold a million copies before Naomi Walford boiled it dowm to one third its original length and translated it into English. Published in the United States by G. P. Putnam's Sons on August 9, 1949, it became a Book of the Month selection and headed best seller lists for several Years thereafter. The novel, which comes to the screen nearly 10 years after Waltari started writing it, zoomed in sales ty 10,000 copies a month from the time it was announced that Zanuck planned to film it, according to the publishers. In addition to its translations into Svedish, Norwegian, Danish, English, French, Spanish, Ger- man, Dutch Portuguese and Japanese, they announced, it is now being published in Argentina and Mexico, with the real upsurge in book sales expected concurrent with release of the film based on the book. Waltari bas a rich backround for a novelist. Born in Helsinki in 1908, son of a preacher, he, like the late Lloyd C, Douglas, who wrote "The Robe," studied for the ministry. After a year, however, he gave up his theological studies at Helsinki University to go to Paris to join a group of literary friends. In high school, he had shown talent by writing a detective story (which 1s years later won a prize) and in Paris he wrote “Ihe Great Illusion," not the book from which the pic- ture of a similar name was taxon. The book was an immediate success in four langu- ages. Returning to Helsinki U. after two years, he got his M.A. degree and worked for two years as a translator end publicity man for a publishing firm, In 1933, his "The Orange Seed" won the National Literery Prize of Finland. Until 1937 he wrote a number of lesser works and edited a leading Finnish illustrated weekly. In that Year, still steeped in religious background, he wrote hic 15th play, "Akhnaton," about the zealous Pharach who lost his kingdom -- and his life -- for his belief in single god. Waltari's writing of "The Exyptian," steumed from the research he aid on his play, "Akmaton." SOMNARISTS CASEY ROBINSON AND PHILIP DUNNE Casey Robinson ("Dark Victory," "All This and Heaven, Too," "King's Row," "The Mating of Millie," "The Snows of Kilimanjaro") and Philip Dunne ("How Green Was Wy Valley,” "Davia and Bathshebe,” "The Robe,” "Denetrius and the Gladiators") wrote ‘the brilliant script of "The Egyptian," boiling the tightly-packed 503-page novel to an action-packed scenario of 1i3 pages with 246 scenes, Research, conferences, and writing of the kinetic script took over a year. Both wrote on the premise that the movie business moved out of the doldrums into its current boom because Hollywood has Giscovered that motion picture fans vant movies to do what they were invented for 50 years ago -- that is, move.In the romantic-religious spectacle of the violence end bloodshed which net nan's first attempt to discard his many idols in favor of a single God 14 centur- tes before the birth of Christ in "The Egyptian," the scenarists gave in addition to the poignant love stories, all the thrill-packed movement audiences could want in the splendor of the Throne Room set, the excitement of the lion sequences, the jeal- ous fury of Purdom's attempt to drown Bella Darvi, the violence in the Eayptian House of Death, in the Valley of the Kings Burial Grounds and on a Hittite battlefield, to the crashing climax of the burning of Thebes end the flaming start of an all-engulfing holy war, with ite milling chariots, soldiers pulling people from their homes and ‘butchering them in the streets, refugees fighting and clawing to escape on ships and the violent crescendo with the massacre of a temple full of worshippers, followed by @ suspenseful poison plot, in their "Egyptian" story. PRODUCTION FACTS AND ODDITIES The 67 sets designed by Art Directors Lyle Wheeler end George Davis for “The Egyptian," cost a total of $605,000 -- $105,000 more than the fabulous settings for “The Robe." Most expensive individual sets were the fabulous Throne Room -- $85,000; The Temple of Aton -- $70,000; the Valley of the Kings set, built on loca- tion at Red Rock Canyon, near Mojave, California - $75,000; the Thebes waterfront streets - $60,000; Nefer's (Bella Darvi) querters - $60,000; women's quarters of the Palace for Gene Tierney and Judith Evelyn, $55,000; Sinuhe's (Edmund Purdom's) dis- pensary -- $20,000; the littlest Royal Princess" (Mimi Gibson) mursery -- $15,000. In addition to filming on the @th Century-Fox lot and the Red Rock loca- tion, a second unit shot backgrounds in Egypt for three months before "The Egyptian" started. This shooting took so long because cameramen were stymied originally by heavy rains on photographing arid, desolate Nile lands needed for famine and drought sequence, then when lands turned too lushly beautiful after rains. Biggest casting problem -- aside from finding right actors for starring roles -- was getting all brown-eyed actors and actresses, since there were no blue- eyed Egyptians 14 B.C, Hazel-eyed Bella Darvi, as "Nefer", played a Babylonian seductress. Green-eyed Gene Merney, as the "Princess Baketamon," is half-Bgyptian - half-Metanni. Knottiest research problem - finding out vhat a fovler's knot was, since ‘the knot is an important plot gimmick which helps Queen Judith Evelyn recognize that orphan Eémund Purdom is, in reality, a son of Pharaoh, After hurry calls to half the miseums and libraries in the country it was found to be an elaborate slip knot used by ancient fowlers in making nets for catching birds, Strangest msical instrument used in the film was @ kediddlehopper, which the Hollywood Musicians Union, which checks up on what its artists are doing, never hed heard of. ‘The kadiddlehopper, is played, or rather bumped, by a set msician in the Dervi party sequence, had to be grasped by its narrow handle and bumped on ‘the floor; the bumping striking two cymbals together and causing its bells and Jingles to make amecial form of ancient Egyptian msic, Nearest thing in modern instruments to a kadiddlehopper is a eistrum. It was used as accompaniment for the spectacular dance performed by Carmen de Lavallade, and choreographed by Stephen Papich, Most expensive food problem on "The Egyptian," was not the vegetable-laden street marts, nor the sumptuous palace fare, but 1,000 pounds of horse meat flown indatly to the Red Rock Canyon location of the lion hunt to feed the big cats rented from the Jungle Compound, along with the services of six lion-tamers headed by Mel Koontz. Strangest accident -- the escape of five lions which terrified the 2200 inhebitants of nearby Mojave, until the lion-tamers, aided by Edmund Purdon, Victor Mature, Michael Wilding, horses, jeeps, automobiles and chairs, rounded up the wandering beasts. Most violent accidents -- when Director Michael Curtiz became so bemised at the beauty of ® costume Gene Merney wore for his approval, that the director tripped over a bench, hurt his left knee, which was treated end bound throughout filming of the picture; and the injuries suffered by actress Marjorie Jackson and veteran stunt man Teddy Mangean vhen the latter, hit by an arrow fell backward from the alter of Aton, landing on Miss Jackson, whose head vas bashed against the stone steps on which she lay. Both landed in the studio hospital, she with a mild concussion, cut cheek and temple, Mangean with a gashed head. The storming of the Temple of Aton scene won for Director Curtiz and three- time Acadeny Avard-winning cineuatographer Leon Shamroy, honorary memberships in the League of Steeplechase Artists, Hunan Fly Boys, Inc., the Association of Flagpole Sitters and the Mountainless Climbers’ Organization, in a series of gag certificates sent them by star Vic Mature, in commemoration of their “agility, bravery and forti- tude" in climbing @ 250-foot-high, six-by-eight foot parallel from which they filmed ‘the spectacular scene, Weightiest romantic problem on "The Egyptian,” was whether the leading Indies and gentlemen would kiss or rub noses, since research failed to prove exactly when the ancient Ezyptians sritched from proboscis caressing to orthodox osculation. Since the change took place sonetime within the lit or 15th century B.C., and in the interests of seriousness, the orthodox lip-to-lip kisses were settled upon, mch to the relief of the kissers. Stylist Le¥aire came up with an invention which may revolutionize the Lingerie business when, to legitimize the transparent costumes the players wore, he invented an undergernent fashioned of seamless net which he wet, wrapped around the Gressmaker dummies of the girls, dried, cut off them, then put the shaped garment on with gum tape. ‘The Misses Simmons, Tierney and Darvi vowed they were ideal bumpless, bulgeless, seamless unmentionables, ideal for wearing under fitted evening gowns as well as transparent Egyptian costumes. Most-used single symbol of ancient Egyptian royalty in the picture, vas the vulture. The carrion-subsisting birds of prey may be anathema to the average human of today, but as royalty's symbol, the protector of the household while the imperial males were at war - just as the eagle is the synbol of strength and freedom in this country today - the vultures were featured in crowns, helmets, headpieces, necklaces, shields, bracelets, rings and eubroidery in "The Exyptian. Prop oddity was that Hollywood, the land of palm trees, had to manufacture half-real, half-phoney ones in the interests of reality. A $10,000 budget was allotted the studio's Staff Shop, collaborating with its Landscepe Department to create plastic-trunked trees, to which real palm fronds were added. Reason: it would take five-ton trucks to move a real palm tree, and set floors would have to be re- enforced to carry their weight on interior sets. Real ones, of course, vere used outdoors.-10- Biggest make-up problems, aside from the wig creations for "The Egyptian,” and the strangely pointed bald top-pieces for the High Priests, were the aging of the players. Edmund Purdom in the title role, was made to look, progressively, like @ teen-aged boy, a youth in his 20's, a 30-year-old, a 50-year-old and a wizened 70. Jean Simmons went from a girl to a middle-aged wonan. Bella Darvi got the full treatment, froma painted young seductress, to a bent old woman. Victor Mature went from pink-cheeked youth to grey middle age. Gene Tierney aged 10 years. Specially arched brows, oiled bodies, shaved heads, color matching of nailpolish to gowns, actors made to look like Syrians, Babylonians, end Hittites, to say nothing of a dozen-odd mummies, were among the other achievenents of Make-Up Director Ben lye. Yain factors which prolong shooting schedules on films are babies, animals, ‘temperamental actors and the weather, in that order. On "The Egyptian," the actors were too busy and happy to wax temperamental; the babies and children were models of set deportment. Director Curtiz turned bad weather to his advantage by adding sucke pots to dank, dark, soggy days and switching his schedule to shoot night ‘scenes by dey. Chief annoyance on the picture, was expected from "Agha," Gene Tierney's pet leopard in the picture, vho proved surprisingly tractable, fell asleep during re- hearsals, miraculously waking in time to steal a few scenes just by stretching and yawning When the camera rolled, hurt no one except a few disbelieving crewmen who hurt themselves bumping into things when he came their way with what they thought were evil intentions, Even the well-trained lions, aside from their one run-avay escarade, caused no trouble. But the beautiful alley cat which won the role of Bella Darvi's pet over 200 champion felines submitted to Director Curtiz by meubers of the Southern Calif- omnia Cat Fanciers’ Society, proved the villain of the picture. The tabby had eyes exactly Iike Mise Darvi's, but and no previous film experience, and with no other cat found to match his size and beauty, had to stand-in and double for himself, Trainer Frank Inn, who had 37 doubles for ‘Rhubarb," the feline star, vas assigned to train Miss Darvi's part-Angora, mostly-alley cat, to hiss and spit at her unwanted suitors, purr at her favorites. Miss Darvi wound up the most scratched-up siren in history 8s a result of her scenes with the cat, refused to believe the Egyptians were not in- sulting when they called a woman a cat, Research proves the Egyptian Goddess of Love, no less, was a cat, ‘Technical advisors on the picture, aside from Mrs, Riefstahl, included famed archer Carl Pitti, assigned to teach Gene Tierney to hit a bull's eye with a dow and arrow for a scene in "The Egyptian." Commented Pitti: "Prettiest student I've ever had, she doesn't need a bow and arrov to hit a bull's eye," Jack Pennick, ex-Marine sergeant vho usually trains armies of all nations and periods for Hollywood Movies, as he does in "The Egyptian," got the wierdest assignment of his life when he had to train "100 Vestal Virgins" to walk, bow, genuflect, and place their offerings on the Temple of Aton altar in unison. The 200-pounder, much to his enbarrassment, Dilushed deeper than his virgin army when he was dubbed "The Petticoat Sergeant." Similar embarrassment befell set music representative Sonny Olivera, who celebrated his 25th year in the Job with an equally blushing assignment, With cos- umes all ready for un-signed musicians, Sonny was assigned to round up seven young, beautiful, dark-eyed, dark-haired feminine msicians, all about five-feet-five or six inches tall, with bust measurements ranging from 35 to 37 inches, so they would fit into the costumes. When Olivera, who knows every musician in California, got to the bust inquiries on the telephone, he found himself switched to irate parents, one of whom had the Better Business Bueau check up on him, Like the Canadian Mounties, Olivera got the lady msicians to fit the costumes,sia, On the more serious side musically, two of the film industry's most prom- inent composers and musical directors, Alfred Newman end Bernard Herrmann, were assigned to collaborate on the musical scoring of "The Heyptien." Both are previous Acadeny Award winners, Newnan composed "The Crocodile Song" used in the tavern sequence, and the special tym, "How Beautiful Art Thou," to lyrics from an ancient Egyptian prose poem, sung by Jean Simmons and a wonen's chorus in The Temple of Aton sequence as the teuple is besieged by Victor Mature's troops. ABOUT "THE EGYPTIAN" CAST Producer Zanuck end Director Curtiz consider no one for the role of "Merit" ‘but Jean Sinmons; no one for the role of the warrior "Horemhe" but Victor Nature; the "Princess Beketamon" was written for Gene Tierney as "Nefer" was for Bella Dervi, and "Kaptah" for Peter Ustinov. Tunerous Broadway and Hollywood actors were tested for the role of the Pharaoh Alkhnaton, but no actor came through with the combination of dignity end spirituality needed until Michael Wilding was brought back from Paris for the part. The title role of "The Eiyptian,” at first destined for Marlon Brando, caused a delay and considerable speculation as to his successor, until Zanuck tested Bamund Purdom, whom he had first used in a featured role in “Titanic.” The young Buglishnan proved the ideal actor for the most coveted moculine starring role of 1954. BAN sions Lovely Jean Simons, the derk-eyed "Diana" of "The Robe," celebrated her 22th year ag a British and Hollywood motion picture actress, and her 25th screen role 5 "Merit" (pronounced Me-reet) ir "The Byyptian." The most un-starrigh star in Hollywood, the dininutive beauty voluntarily tested with every aspirant for the roles of "Sinuhe" and "Akmaton," blithely waved thanks aside with "the oftener I test, the better I'11 know my part when we start shooting.” The winsome actress, at last free of other contractual commitments when Darryl F. Zanuck bought up her contract for 20th Century-Fox, admitted she breathed 80 freely she gained more than an inch in chest measurement before starting "The Bayptian." In addition to testing with everyone for the film, Jean took a two-hour daily dancing lesson to get in agile shape for her role as the Egyptian bar-uaid. A paradoxical blend of the mature, sophisticated and sexy along with youthful, elfin and mischievous, Jean uade news when she claimed that "news-wise I'm dull, just a happily married actress, which is why I get ouch a lift out of playing a daring role Like this in "The Exyptian.'" She referred to the fect that in her role, she has an affair with Edmmd Purdon, bears him a child out of wedlock, refuses to tell him about it, because the is Jealous of his attentions to Bella Darvi. Her barmaid role also gave her a chance to break a tankard over the head of a student in the tavern Sequence -- a scene which required three takes because of her fear she would hurt the extra involved! The winner of four international film evards and named Britain's most popu- lar actress in 1950, end of an Acadeny Nomination for her “Ophelia” in "Hamlet" in 1948, Jean won her strangest pin-up title during filming of "The Egyptian," when a committee headed by Dr. Edvard Tornow for the Southern Division of the California Association of Chiropodists gave her the Winged Foot Awara for being the "Hollywood Actress with the Most Perfect Feet."Although she doesn't have the glamour wardrobe as barmaid that "Princess" Gene Tierney and "Courtesan" Bella Darvi do, Jean walked so enticingly in her Egyptian costumes, that she won the "swivel-hips" title of the set from the crew, 3 well as "the most expressive cyes" label from the actors who worked with her. "Her eyed react so emotionally, she makes it easy to react in return," her admiring co-star, Purdom, explained. "The Egyptian,” curiously, gave Jean Simmons her first location trip in this country, when she planed to Red Rock Canyon. Naively unaware that studios took care of hotel and food bills, she tried to pay them herself, was astonished when her money was refused, She finished her role in "The Egyptian," considerably bruised by the fall she took vhen a warrior's arrow hit her with more than planned impact. Jean's “death” drew tears from the eyes of the extras in the scene. When it was finished, @ studio nurse bound her bruises, and the trouper trotted off, without a moment's rest, to start her wardrobe fitting for her next 20th Century-Fox starrer, "Desiree." VICTOR MATURE Vitor Mature, chosen to play "Horenheb" in “The Egyptian,” called the role "the greatest switcheroo of my recent career." The burly actor was referring to the fact that as "Demetrius" in the "The Robe" and "Demetrius and the Gladistors,” he portrays "a man who put God above country,” while in "The Egyptian” he portrays f varrior "who puts country above Goa,” Nature's "Egyptian" role was heralded with the good news that Darryl F, Zanuck not merely reneved Vic's contract, but gave him a new seven-year contract, celebrating the star's 12th consecutive year at 20th Century-Fox. Masking his ser- fousness with a casual quip as always, Nature, when asked how come he had never taken @ suspension or turned down a role, replied: "I like the money,” added, when pressed, NI get a Kick out of trying to act." Complaining that the filn interférea with his golf, Vic brought his Riviera golf pro, Willie Hunter, on the set, ostensibly to improve his gaue between takes, wound up using Hunter to cue him on "Bgyptian" lines instead. Ona Sunday off from the picture he still managed to wan a pro-amateur golf championship contest at the Long Beach Municipal golf course. Mature quipped literally that "he vas really carrying a load around" on “The Egyptian" set. The star referred to his elegant 65-round leather and armour costume in the Throne Room sequence. 2 He suffered only one injury -- a badly bruised left index finger, vhen his sword broke in an affray with Purdou in the scene where the latter demonstrated the superiority of the Hittite iron swords over the Egyptian copper daggers. In the hand-to-hand fight with Purdom in Bella Darvi's quarters, neither veteran movie fighter Nature, nor Purdon hurt each other despite the fact that they pumeled, Punched end pounded each other to a seeming pulp. Purdom with plenty of stage fights to his credit, and despite his 170 pounds compared to Vic's 198, proved as expert with his fists, received only one scratch -- from Vic's armour, Vic won a once-in-a-lifetine uarksmanship title in the tavern sequence, when he thre a knife so accurately that it not only broke the wine barrel it was ‘supposed to, but went on freakishly to hit and separate an electric plug, which dis- Connected the camere, "Imagine knifing my own close-up!" cracked Mature, then hitthe bull's eye for ancther take. His fellow actors think Mature hit a top score in all his scenes, and when they told him so, the star replied: "I wind up with Gene Tierney, what other score does @ guy necd in a picture!” Gave TIERNEY From the moment she returned from Europe to take her first Hollywood film role in nearly three years as the "Princess Baketamon" in"Uhe Exyptian,” Gene Tierney kept making headlines with the persistent rumors that she vould become a real-life Princess and wed Prince Aly Khan, The rumors gathered credence when Prince Aly ar- rived to see her, spirited her off, with her mother, Mrs. Belle Tierney, to Ensenada, flew to be near her to the Red Rock location, and spent every day Gene worked on the set with her. Although the exotically beautiful star persistently denied rumors of an impending marriage to Prince Aly, she wore his engagement ring, dated no other man, and, finally, refused all conment on the subject of her romance other than to say she had not made up her mind. Prince Aly, himself half-Persian, half-Italian, but an indirect descendant of Egyptian royalty (his ancestors ruled Egypt sometime after the birth of Mohamied), proved hinself invaluable as an expert Eyptologist as a voluntary, unpaid technical advisor to Director Michael Curtiz; charmed everyone on the set with his democratic attitude. Prior to his arrival, Gene, who had decorated half a dozen homes in Holly- wood, spent her between-take time adding an Aly Khan touch to her Coldwater Canyon home, when she vorked on a petit point reproduction of "Tulyar," the famous race horse which Aly sold for a febulous sum, used it to cover an antique bench, which she took to her Connecticut home before she sold her Beverly Hills house and left for the Hast. At the same time, via long-distance conferences, she planned additions to her Eastern home, where she feels her five-year-old daughter, Tina, should live perma- nently near her cousins. Tina, in Hollywood with her mother during filming of “The Egyptian," watch- ed Gene's wardrobe fittings, commented anent her regal coronation costume and vul- ture-winged helmet: "Mommy, you look just like a golden bird.” From famed Jugoslav- American sculptor Jucca Salammich, Gene, pin-up titled on many beauty and best- Gressed lists, won a new one. Said Selammich: Gene Tierney has the sexiest face in Hollywood. The Brocklyn-born actress, of French-Spanish-Swedish-Irish-Euglish ancestry, admitted she was leary of "Agha," the world's only "house-bred tame leopard,” and when she saw the automobile in which handler Floya Humeston carried him, emblazoned: "Fearless Fagan," she cracked: "Fearless Fagan and Mmid Tierney." However, "Agha" aian't so much as spit at anyone, although three crewmen were bruised getting out of his way! Gene was so entranced with her costumes for "The Egyptian," that she promptly commissioned designer LeVaire to make three modern-day evening gown adapta- tions for her, one in white and gold which the press promptly predicted would be her wedding gown. On the set, Gene reminded Director Curtiz that he was responsible for her eubition to become an actress. It seems, as a youngster, che had visited his "Jeze- bel" set with her femily, and Curtiz had promptly told her she belonged in films, sentoub- her to the Warner's casting office. "Only the fact that the casting director looked me over and called me a 'cutic', which horrified the fimily, killed the idea of test- ing then," But the bug persisted, and the following year, at 16, she made her Broad- wey bov, anda year later was discovered by Zanuck and brought to Hollywood under long-term contract. Gene wound up her role in "The Egyptian" with the coronation scene in which Victor Mature and she ere crowned the new Pharoah and his Queen: A wag, watching Prince Aly Khan watching Gene, cracked: "This is one time Queen Gene outranks Prince Aly." On completion of her role, Gene planed East to re-srrange her furniture in her Connecticut home, after three weeks, returned to 20th Century-Fox for another starring role in "The Black Widow. MICHAEL WILDING Although more than two score other actors were tested for the role of the Pharaoh Akhnaton, Michael Wilding won the role without a test other than a costume test, after Darryl Zenuck saw his sensitive performance as the blind pianist in "Torch Song." The test was only to see if he could look about the age of Purdom, who is supposed to be his contemporary in the CinemaScope film, ‘The actor vas borrowed from MGM and brought from Paris for the role, ex- pressed amazement that he got it, frankly adding, "I'm 15 years older than Edmund, ven more amazed was his agent who forvarded “The Egyptian” script to him,when Wilding cabled "I'd like to do it." Wilding has a reputation for turning dovnrine out of 10 parts he's offered on the simple grounds that he's the laziest man alive. But he found the Akhnaton role too fascinating to refuse. "I'd say it's an impos- sible role to play, because he's a sort of Christ, who despite his illness -- and his belief in one God was believed a symptom of madness -- he had a strange dignity, and the weaker he grew physically, the stronger he seemed because of his unswerving belief." The complexity of the role appealed to him as “impossible,” and therefore © challenge worth taking. ‘The mild-mannered, even-tempered star, who charmed everyone on the 20th Century-Fox lot, could be called a hot-head without getting hot-headed about it on “The Egyptian" set, for the simple reason that the double Egyptian crown he wore ‘throughout the Throne Room scenes, was lined with a rubber and plastic base so it would adhere to his head. ‘The crown wasn't the "breathing" or punctured type, so he had to relieve his overheated head by removing the crown between takes. The London-born actor made his professional bow as a film leading man in Australia, switched to the London stage, and became one of England's busiest and most popular screen stars, with 17 top English filns to his credit before MOM signed him in 1951, when he made his American screen bow in "The Law and the Lady." "The Egyptian" is his third Hollywood screen role, and a complete departure from anything he has hitherto done on stage, screen, ‘radio or television. Famous as a light comcd- ian of the Cary Grant type abroad, he likes his change of pace, and proved a huge success in his Egyptian role, if 100 extras are any criterion. There was a full minute's hush before they broke into applause after his final "one Goa" speech. On the personal side, Wilding, who married Elizabeth Taylor on February 21, 1952, exulted over the first word spoken by their infent son, Michael Howard Wilding, dr. The word ves "Yes," and on afterthought, the proud papa wondered if his son-15- would grow up to be @ "yes man." To celebrate the event, the Wildings bought a new Hollywood hilltop "nearly-all-glass" house, and when printed rumors upped the pur- chase price to $185,000, Wilding cracked: “Who but the government has that mich money to spend." Purchase of the house vas occasioned by his wife's admission she wanted a large family and wanted to be prepared for it. On completion of his sensitive performance in "The Eeyptian," Wilding returned to his home studio to portray "Prince Charming” to Leslie Caron's "Cinderella" in the "Glass Slipper." BELLA DARVI Bella Darvi, Hollywood's most exotic importation since Marlene Dietrich, made extensive tests for “The Egyptian,” proved so right for the role of the Baby- lonien courtesan, "Nefer" (the Egyptian word for "beautiful") that no one else was considered for the part. ‘The piquant, Polish-born, French-reared girl, who made her world-wide acting debut in 20th Century-Fox' “Hell and High Water," wears the most revealing costumes in "The Egyptian." One was so filmy, that Ace Cinematographer Leon Shamroy photographed her through a screen lest the censors scream, The day before the picture started, the star rented Marilyn Monroe's former apartment, admitting she enjoyed cooking and wanted her omn kitchen, end needed the privacy to study her lines. On her first day on the set, she received a wire from her most persistent Hollywood suitor, actor Brad Dexter, who said: "Come Hell or High Water, Happy Egyptian." The picture proved a happy one for her, she admitted, despite the fact that her "pet" cat scratched her unnercifully (the cat was finally fed female hor- mone pills to make him more docile), that Purdom got too realistic and nearly drom- ed her when, in a fury of Jealousy, he bent, her head back into and under her pool on the set, that she wound up with a scene no beauty enjoys -- in a complete aging and deglamorization Job that took the make-up department mich longer than their glamorizing stints ("that scene make me more sad and depressed than enytheeng in my life except ay four years in a Nazi concentration camp"). On the hapry side, she enjoyed what proved to be the movie bath of all movie baths -- a leisurely dunking ine lotus-filled pool, following vhich slave vonen massaged her with oil -- a very different and more luxurious sudsing than ‘the quick shower she took in the ship of her first film, She enjoyed most of all ‘the resplendantly revealing costumes LeMeire designed for her and which won her numerous Wolf-whistles on the set. One in particular, a creation of molten gold crossed seductively over her bosom, leaving her tiny waist bare, with a triangle of bared abdomen relieved by a giant ruby at a strategic point, vith pleated skirt hugging her hips and slit to the knees, and a ruby-decorated blue Egyptian wig, ‘blue-enamelled finger and toenails, drew a terrific barrage of whistles and woo- woo's. The star frankly loved the whistles, a universal language, but the woo-woo's stumped her, even when Someone explained that they were swing slang "like be-bop for 'we'd like to woo you,'" No foreigner to American Jazz, even if she hasn't learned all its expressions, Bella startled the crew with: "You mean thees govn ees real low-down cool! ‘The young actress was thrilled to be "playing a bad girl -- because ect geeves a wonderful chance to act," thanked Director Curtiz, co-star Purdom andalt= cameranan Shanroy effusively after each teke for their patience with her. On a day off from the set, she made like a sailor on» holiday, showed the sixth Earl of Carnarvon around the Egyptian sets, vas gratified when the titled Britisher, son of the Lord Carnsrvon responsible for the excavations of King Tut's ‘Tonb, and hinself a noted Egyptolocist, remarked: "To me, the authenticity of the sets for “The Egyptian’ are proof that Hollywood films have graduated from the realm of business to real art." Lord Carnarvon apparently was as much impressed with Bella as with the set she shoved him, for he later wrote inviting her to be his guest at Highclere Castle, listed as one of the most beautiful and oldest in all Burope, whenever she was in England, On completion of her role in "The Egyptian," Bella left for her native France. To queries about when she would return, replied: "For the premiere of ‘The Egyptian,' and if the critics and public like me, then I will return and become an American citizen," A month later she was brought back to test for the starring role in "The Racers," a 20th Century-Fox film to be made in France. PETER USTINOV Peter Ustinov, Britain's brilliant young actor-producer-director-pley- wright-scenarist-novelist-reporter, wes brought from London by Darryl F. Zenuck to portray the captivating rogue, "Kaptah,” slave of "The Egyptian.” The role marked 8 distinct departure for the "Nero" of ‘Quo Vadis," the "Prince Regent" of "The Life and Times of Beau Brunme1," and the "Colonel" of the London production of his om play, "The Love of Four Colonels," the Broadway production of which won the New York Critics Award as the best play by a foreign author in 1953, and the Donaldson Award for the best of an author's first New York presentation. "The Egyptian" marked Ustinov's Hollywood motion picture debut, although he won both an Academy nomination and the Foreign Correspondents’ Golden Globe Award as best supporting actor of the year for his "Nero" in "Quo Vadis,” an MGM picture filmed entirely in Rome. Ustinov had quite a time filling out his Hollywood Screen Actors' Guild cara, which left one line for "what other unions do you belong to.” As an actor, he belongs to British Actors' Equity; as a ploywright, he belongs to the New York Drenatists Guild; the London Society of Authors; the British League of Dramatists, of which he is president, and the Society des Outeurs of France. As a director, he belongs to the British Association of Cine Technicians, As a producer, he belongs to the British Film Acadeny. As a screen writer, he belongs to the British Screen Writers Society, With his $.A.G. card, and when his two novels are published, if ‘there's a novelists union, he'll have a card for that -- he'll be carrying his tenth card, about which he cracked: "My card case is getting almost as heavy as I am." Six-foot Ustinov is a 200-pounder at lowest edb. ‘An actor at the age of 17, a star at 18, a playwright hailed as "a young Chekhov" at the age of 19, a producer at the age of 20, the author of two plays which ran simultaneously in London at the age of 21, Ustinov is the author of 10 produced plays printed in London under the title "Plays About People.” "The Egyptian" narks his eighth major film role, he has authored five films, directed and co-produced three; directed tvo plays, starred in a BBC t.v. show, "In All Directions," produced three plays, and ade a phonograph recording in which he alone imitates a mle quartet and full orchestre.During "The Egyptian” he completed another play, "The Empty Chair," which hé will produce in London next Fall, before which he goes to France to co-produce Max Ophuls filmversion of his prize-winning play, "The Love of Four Colonels." Asked how he liked his role in "The Egyptian," Ustinov replied: "I never accept a role I don't like, nor like one I don't feel." Queried on how he manages such milti-activities, he says: "One rests me from the other." Acting, he claims, is the mst restful activity of all -- it relaxes his mind, "However," he adds, “it's hardest on your feet." He was referring to the fact that as Purdom's slave, he never gets to sit dow in the film. His one amsed gripe about his "Egyptian" role -- as the one-eyed slave, he wears his eye-patch over his good eye. "I'm supposed to be half-blind, and they've made me all-blind," adding: "Everyone else in the picture works in full CinemaScope -- I'm the only actor with no scope.” When wealthy Singapore exhibitor Loke Wan Tho and his beautiful wife visited Ustinov during the sacking of Thebes sequence, the Chinese exhibitor cracked: "Rome never stops burning for Peter, even in ancient Egypt," to which a crewman erecked: "Where there's smoke, there's Ustinov.” Peter, who married lovely French-Canadian actress Suzanne Cloutier before he arrived in Hollywood for "The Egyptian," celebrated his 33rd birthdsy during filming of the picture, became the father of a premature daughter, Pavla Ustinov, on June 2, 1954, Curious co-incidence about his playing the role was that two years before he was flow to Hollywood for "The Egyptian,” his mother, London artist Nadia Benois Ustinov, painted the Jacket cover for the English publication of the Mika Waltari novel, Said Peter: "I never dramed I'd be decorating the screen for a picturization of the book she decorated--not that anyone in his right mind could call me decora- tive!" Producer Zanuck snagged Ustinov's signature on a picture a year contract, before the Britisher, who 1s of Russian-Geruan-Italian-French descent, went on to Paramount to play one of the title roles in "My Three Angels." EDMUND PURDOM ‘Edmund Purdom, who won the title role of "Sinuhe," the Egyptian physician in the Zanuck production, after Marlon Brando walked out on the role, refers to hin- self as the “replacement actor." Because Purdom's first starring role, in GM's "The Student Prince," come after Mario Lanza walked out on that role. After his brilliant performance in "The Egyptian," Purdom became the hottest actor in Holly- wood, will never have to work as a replacement actor again, Born in Welwyn Garden City, near London, 27 years ago, Eammd Purdom went from starvation and near deportation to success and stardom since he arrived in Hollywood on April 16, 1952, A London actor who never stopped working on the stage, although no British film producer ever offered him a role, tall, dark, handsome and velvet-voiced Purdom was a youthful veteran of 21 Shakespearian, a total of 50 repertory plays, created the starring role in "The Way Things Go" (a play called "the Day After Tomorrow" in the U.S.); played the title role in "Romeo and Juliet," a lead in "Golden City," during which he met his wife, dancer Tita Phillips, but vas-19- not discovered by film moguls until he appeared in London and on Broadvey with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh in "Caesar and Cleopatra’ and "Anthony and Cleo- patra," as a result of which, despite the fact that he played comparatively brief roles, he was offered film contracts ty Zanuck, Paramount, Universal, Columbia and MGM, who @ll discovered he had accepted a prior commituent from Warner Brotiers Curiously, Purdom eventually landed on the 20th Century-Fox lot with Director Michael Curtiz, who had made his first test in Hollywood, turned him down for the role in "Force of Arms" only because the role called for an American, Curtiz urged Purdon to remain in Hollywood, prophecied @ brilliant future for him. It came, but only after the starvation period. Purdom was too late for the roles the other studios wanted him for when he was unavailable, wound up living with his wife, an expectant mother by this time, in a $30-a-month garage, minus hot water, refrigeration or ventilation, They ate by grace of American friends who loaned ‘them an occasional $5 or $10, He hitchhiked daily, and fruitlessly, to casting offices; tried to get a job as a delivery boy in markets, but his Immigration vis permitted him to vork only under contract to a major studio. His visa was about to expire when MEM searching for Shakespearian actors sent for hin, gave hima one-line, two-day bit stabbing Jemes Nason in "Julius Caesar," the $150 salary for which paid for the delivery of his first heir, a daught- er named Lilan Ellery, pet-named "Mrs. Doody." About to be deported at the expense of the American taxpayers, Purdom got @ stey when Zanuck signed him for the role of the first officer in "Titanic" at $300-a-week by which time MGM exercised its contract option on him, tested him for various roles which didn't materialize until the Langa episode. Pirdom practiced lubbing to Ianza's recorded voice for three months before he made the test for "The Student Prince," worked another two at it before he made the picture in 23 days, "Five months to prepare for uy first co-starring picture, and no tine to Prepare for "The Bayptien,' except for two days of wardrobe fittings and make-up tests. It's like asking you to play 'Hamlet' with no notice at all,” comented Purdon, Although many actors were rumored for the Brando replacement, Purdon was one of only three actors tested for the epic role. So certain was he that he wouldn't get it, that he and Mrs. Purdom blithely flew to Mexico with Tyrone and Linda Power, hed to be tracked down 100 miles out of Acapulea to come back for "The Egyptian.” In playing the most coveted role of the year in the Zanuck film, Purdom unconsciously fulfilled a prophecy of famed Britich director Tyrone Guthrie, who, when he heard that Purdom was thrown out of his Shakespearian acting job with the Stratford-on-Avon Players after "a disagrcenent with the management,” comented: “Well, it won't hurt him, He'll either starve or be a star in five years." That was four years ago. Purdom has every kind of scene in "The Egyptian," except singing. In fact, he never got a day off during filming. He is in all but two of the 246 scenes of the CinemaScope picture. A conscientious actor, who felt "a staggering respon- sibility in having such a role with such a great director and cast" -- Purdom worked=20- from 15 to 18 hours a dsy on his role, leaving the set to rush straight to a drama coach to rehearse his next dey's scenes. He lost 10 pounds during filming of "The Beyptian," regained five of them on the Red Rock location, his first, lost them again on his return to the lot. Most actors look at their first top starring roles as a beptisn by fire. Purdom's on "The Egyptian" set was a baptism by firewater, In the tavern sequence, Purdom, celebrating his School of Life graduation with Mature and others, not only played a drunk but was sobered up when Jean Simmons poured a jug of wine over him, Comparatively new to the film business, Purdom was always letter-perfect in his lines, but his naivete ruined a take during the scene vhen, in a jealous rage at Bella Darvi's spurning him in favor of a wealthier suitor, he choked her, plung- ing her head backward into her lotus pool. He stopped in the middle of the take, hastily pulled her out, thinking the red dye of her wig, spreading over the water, was blood, Miss Dervi hed to take five dunkings before Purdom, afraid to hurt her, finally let go to Curtiz' satisfaction. The six-foot-and-a-half actor's hectic "Egyptian" schedule was made more turbulent by the fact that his home studio frequently sent a limousine to await him on lunch hours, rushed him to MGM to dub another line for “Tae Student Prince” or for conferences on "Athena." But Purdom, recalling that he hitchhiked to Metro for his "Julius Cesar" stint, confessed he got a thrill out of the royal treatment. MOM, in fact, gave him a fat bonus and upped him from a three-to-four-figure weekly salary, following which Purdom sent his wife to get his watch and her ring out of hock! Before starting "The Egyptian," Purdom rented the pleasant home of "Snake Pit" scenarist Frank Partos, commented: "Our garage-living days were our Snake Pit.” His wife, by this time, was expecting their second child in July of 1954, to be named Marina if a girl, Charles Phillip, if a boy. Purdom, the son of London author and dramatic critic Charles B, Purdom, had two brothers, since died, named Charles and Philip. The youthful actor celebrated completion of “The Egyptian," by sending for his mother-in-law, and by giving a party for a dozen of the friends who helped the Purdoms with gifts of money, food and blankets when they were down ana out. A serious, conscientious actor, Bamund Purdon 1s also an intelligent and witty young man, grateful for the faith evidenced by Darryl F. Zanuck and Michael Curtiz in giving him "The Egyptian" top role, and hoped he did it justice. That he @id is evidenced by the fact that Zanuck secured from MOM a future 20th Century-Fox film comitment for Edmund Purdom, who made the stardom grede in Hollywood's great- est picture, in less than two years after his arrival in screentomn. OTHER CAST MEMBERS Famed Broadway star Judith Evelyn was brought to Hollywood to portray the vole of the scheming, decadent "Queen Taia." The "Blanche" of "A Streetcar Named Desire," the star of Gotham's "Angel Street" (called "Gaslight" when Ingrid Bergman dia it on the screen) last seen in New York with Jose Ferrer in “The Shrike," had to @rink quarts of beer (it was a favorite Egyptian beverage) for her role, being al- Jergic to it, did a lot of sneezing on the set, but, since nothing photographs like beer but beer, suffered for her art and drank the stuff. Since she played a famous21+ ruler of the Egyptian era, Miss Evelyn, with characteristic thoroughness, read a half dozen histories of the Queen before playing her. Veteran actor Henry Daniell, returned from his neerly-year-long run in the Broadway production of "My Three Angels," suffered a constant headache as the result of his tightly-fitted, nearly-pointed baldheadea make-up as the High Priest, "Mikere." ‘The priest's authentic Egyptian name was "Eie" but because that name sounds like "I" and changed the sense of dislogiewith and about him, screen writers Robinson and Durme had to change it. Daniel's role in "The Egyptian" marked his first on the 20th Century-Fox lot since he mpeared in "Jane Eyre" in 1943. Famed on the London and Broadway stage before he made his screen bow in 1932, Daniel's recent Broadway successes, in addition to "Angels," include "Cocktail Party" in which he succeeded Alec Guinness in the psychiatrist role; "That Lady," and "Lovers and Friends’ with K. Cornell. His most famous screen role was in "Camille" with Greta Garbo. John Carradine, under contract to Zanuck for six years before he headed for N. Y., and returned to do "Fallen Angel" in 1945, plays "The Grave Robber" in “the Egyptian,” shut down his Hollywood stage presentation of "Tobacco Road" to do it, Carradine's wife, actress Sonia Sorel, became the nother of their third son, Robert Reed Carradine, born March 2th, the dey before their ninth wedding anniver- sary, during filming of “The Bgyptisn.” Carredine's last Broadwey appearances were in "Wad Woman of Chaillot", in "Galileo" with Charles Laughton. Actor Carl Benton Reid played Purdom's physician-father in "The Bayptian,” and the role marked his first on the 20th Century-Fox lot, his second for Curtiz ("The Will Rogers Story") his 30th anniversary in the theatrical profession, his 13th year as a film actor since he mde his bow in 19l1 recreating his Broadway role as "Os in “The Little Foxes." Beautiful Anitra Stevens, Detrott-born actress who made her stage bov at 26 (fibing about her age) as an Earl Carroll lovely, thanks Director Curtiz' long memory for her role as Michael Wilding's "Queen Nefertiti" in "The Hgyptian." The former model made four previous filus, always landed on the cutting room floor, until the Zanuck film, Curtiz recalled seeing her as a visitor on one of his sets, had his secretary hunt her up when 67 other brunette beauties failed to resemble Nefer- titi. Anitra just turned her profile, got the part, won plaudits when she shed real tears during Wilding's death scene. Donna Martell, who retired from the screen when she narried Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gene Corso a year ago, was enticed back by Curtiz for the role of the Lady-in-Waiting. On completion of "The Egyptian," Donna left Hollywood again, to accompany her husband to New Orleans for the Pirates-versus Pelicans base- ball match. Youthful veteran Toumy Rettig, who played Bob Mitchum's son in "River of No Return," won the role of Jean Simons’ and Edmmd Purdom's son in “The Egyptian." year-old enchantress Mimi Gibson, the sole support of her mother and 13-year-old sister, veteran of 100 radio and t.v. shows anda dozen films, play- ed the youngest daughter of Wilding and Miss Stevens, played her "littlest princess" role, including her death scene, so superbly that she was promptly signed to portray Mitzi Gaynor as a child in Irving Berlin's "There's No Business Like Show Business" on the Zanuck lot.Carmen de Lavallade, a Lester Horton dancer who made her New York bow last year and her Hollywood night club debut at Ciro's in Hollywood last Spring, danced the spectacular nunber in the Darvi party scene. Stephen Papich, CinemaScope's first choreographer ("The Robe") routined the muxber. Harry Thomson, former U.C.L.A. and now Rams football star,vho last ap- peared in “The Robe," played the keeper of Gene Tierney's leopard, Faned one-tine Girector George Melford, and Broadway actor Lawrence Ryle portrayed High Priests; Wrestlers Tiger Joe Marsh and Killer Karl Devis, enemies in the ring, played friendly guards for Bella Darvi; Ian MacDonald as @ ship's captain; Peter Raynolds, juvenile actor, portrayed Edmund Purdom at the age of 10; actor Michael Granger played another officer; Don Blackran a Nubien Prince, Joan Winfield, the governess of the three Toyal princesses--Mimi Gibson, Sharon Altzan and DeeDee Gainor; and famed wrestler- actor Mike Nazurki, the "Big Jule" of "Guys and Dolls" played the grisly Death House Foreman, Peter Coe, Tyler McDuff, Brad Jackson, Nico Minardos, Richard Allan played students; Jean Gale, of the faned Gale sisters, announced her engagement to Broadway Producer George White, during filming; American Indian beauty Wilma Reed made her sereen bow as Miss Darvi's handmaiden; former boxing championship contender Jimy Dime, U.C.L.A, football captain Guy Way; actress Maia Gregory; femed Hollywood stunt men John Epper, Saul Gorss, Terry Wilsou, Louis ‘Tomei, Stubby Kruger, Charlie Regan, Jack Stoney, George Robatham, Bill Catching, Bert LeBaron, George Dockstader, George Cernak were featured in the sacking of Thebes sequence; as was Fortune Gordien, world's champion discus thrower, Gabriel Curtiz, actor-brother of Director Curtiz, and thousands of others were used in "The Fgyptian" cast. On the crew credits, Director Curtic believes Cinematographer Leon Shanroys topnotch photography should rate him a fourth Oscar, so spectacular is his camera work. "Shamroy paints with a CineuaScope lens as the great masters did with paint- brush and easel," Curtiz enthused. Iyle Wheeler and George Davis were responsible for the superb art direct- ion; Walter M. Scott and Paul S. Fox for the set decorations, Ray Kellogg for the special photographic effects, Barbara McLean, A.C.E. was film editor, Edvard B. Powell did the orchestration, Ken Darby was responsible for the vocal supervision; Alfred Bruzlin and Roger Henan for the sound, Leonard Doss was Color Consultant; William Eckhardt, Curtiz' assistant director, Norman Sutart his dialogue coach, and ‘the CinemaScope Lenses used on "The Egyptian” were by Bausch and Lomb, Director Michael Curtiz summed up his reaction to “The Egyptian" with: "Darryl F. Zanuck gave me the best age of economy in filmdom, when Zanuck tells me ‘it is not economical to be parsimonious,’ we create with excitement and we hope we give audiences this great story in all its excitement." ‘Trailblazer Zanuck, in "The Zeyptian," has blazed a trail back 3300 years ‘to the first man who conceived of a single God, and in miing the more than $5,000(00 CinemaScope DeLuxe Color picturization of the Mike Waltari novel, has also pictured for the first time on any screen, the life and times of a civilization and humanity hitherto known intimately only to Egyptologists. In so doing, he has presented a picture of breathtaking beauty, high drema and epic impact. ##