QJohn Forsythe---What Did He Say About "Topaz" & Hitchcock?
AChicago Tribune, February 23, 1969, s. E, p. 11 (with photos):Forsythe Takes Movies, Stage or TV in StrideBy Norma Lee BrowningHollywood:The actor: Handsome, personable John Forsythe, a cross between Humphrey Bogart and Henry Fonda. Hes dressed in a tweed business suit and is wearing make-up because hes been shooting all morning in Topaz, the movie version of Leon Uris best-seller, being directed by Alfred Hitchcock.Topaz is Hitchcocks first movie since Torn Curtain, which starred Paul Newman and Julie Andrews. The picture made money, no thanks to the many movie critics who didnt like it. But word is that Hitchcock is very high on Topaz, a contemporary spy thriller to which hell give the Hitchcock touch.The entire company had just returned from six weeks of shooting in Paris and Copenhagen and theyre now working here in Hollywood. Hitchcock is using mostly unknown performers in Topaz, with the notable exception of John Forsythe.Nlb: What is it like to work with the worlds most famous director?A: Its very stimulating and challenging. Hitchcock is a real perfectionist. He knows camera, lighting and every piece of equipment thoroly. He can be very difficult and demanding but hes very relaxed on this picture.Nlb: Youve worked with him before, havent you? A: Yes. Weve been friends since I made The Trouble With Harry for him in 1955. [That was the picture which introduced Shirley MacLaine to movie goers.] I also worked with him on one of the few hour-long TV shows he did. He hasnt changed at all thru the years. Hes as droll and offbeat as ever. Theres only one problem about working with Hitchcock. I gain weight. He took e to every restaurant in Paris and Copenhagen that he considers goodit was a real eating spree.[I saw Hitchcock when Forsythe took me back to the sound stage after lunch. There was the slow, deliberate walk, the precise way he has of speaking and the unmistakable Hitchcock profileliving proof of his love for good food!]________________________________
Q"Topaz"---Based on True Events?
AChicago Tribune, April 15, 1968, s. 1, p. 11:URIS RECALLS REPORTNew York,April 14 [Reuters]---Leon Uris, author of "Topaz," the novel about a French-Russian spy ring, today said he met Pierre Thiraud de Vosjoly, who contended that a spyy ring in fact existed around President de Gaulle.Uris said the central figure in his novel, a French intelligence agent, was not meant to be the real-life Thiraud de Vosjoly. The author declined to say how well he knew him or whether they met before Uris wrote the book.He said, however, he does believe there was an espionage ring operating close to President de Gaulle around the time of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis---which figures prominently in "Topaz"---and for a time before that._____________________________________
QHitchcock---Did He Help Promote the Film?
AChicago Tribune, October 27, 1969, p. 19:TOWER TICKERby Robert WiedrichShow Business: Alfred Hitchcock is launching his promotional tour for "Topaz" Dec. 1 and should be in town four days later. The film opens at the Chicago theater in mid-January. . . .
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