Charming New Musical Fantasy Marks
Rossano Brazzi's Directorial Debut

The highly successful career of Rossano Brazzi, the romantic international film star, takes on a new phase and a new turn with the charming musical fantasy, "The Christmas That Almost Wasn't," the Childhood Productions release produced by Barry B. Yellen, opening .......... at the ........... Theatre.

Not only does the handsome, Italian actor make his debut as a director with the new feature production in Eastman Color, but he also makes a stunning turn from his previous screen portrayals by playing, for the first time, a comic-character role.

He has begun his directorial career with unbounded enthusiasm over the story written for the screen by the celebrated creator of children's TV entertainment, Paul Tripp, and over the unusual, gifted cast assembled for the pic­ture.

Brazzi's co-stars in the tale in which Santa Claus faces eviction from his North Pole home and headquarters include Tripp, Al­berto Rabagliati, the character actor and singer once known as "the Bing Crosby of Italy," Mischa Auer, the brilliant comic actor in his return to the screen, Sonny Fox, another popular star of child­ren's TV entertainment, and the actor's own wife, Lydia Brazzi, in her film debut.

NEW ROLE FOR BRAZZI In front of the cameras, Brazzi is seen as the ill-tempered Mr. Prune, who hates children and the spirit of Christmas giving. He doesn't get the girl in the end, as was his custom in such previous hits as "Summertime" and "Three Coins in the Fountain," but he does reform and happily change his wicked ways.

Although the role is a decidedly different one for the matinee idol, it was even a bigger challenge for him to be behind the cameras after acting in one hundred and eight films.

"I didn't know movie technique as a director," he has explained with disarming frankness. "But in talks with big, American directors from Wyler to Wilder, very good friends of mine, they convinced me that technique is simply hav­ing something to say, and since I have something to say, the tech­nique doesn't bother me. After having been on so many movie sets, I must have learned a little bit.

"After twenty-five years of act­ing, I am pleased I have decided to direct. I am over forty, at an age when one reflects about many things and begins to take stock. Directing at last will give me time to evaluate myself."

Brazzi also admits that the principle of self-evaluation was involved in his being prompted to essay the role of Mr. Prune and to appear in a characterization as opposite as possible from his 'Latin Lover' image.

"The Christmas That Almost Wasn't" was filmed in English in Rome. Its bright array of songs feature lyrics by Paul Tripp and music by Ray Carter, and the background scrore was written by Bruno Nicolai, one of Italy's foremost composer-conductors.

Sonny Fox
Biography

Sonny Fox, adored by millions of kids who have been de­voted fans of his popular television programs for the past eleven years, currently stars in "The Christmas That Almost Wasn't," a musical fantasy produced by Barry B. Yellen for Childhood Productions release.

TOP CHILDREN'S TV SHOW Mr. Fox brings to his perform­ance all the charm and warmth and good humor that he displays on his weekly TV shows on New York City's WNEW-TV, "Wonderama With Sonny Fox" and "Just For Fun." He portrays a depart­ment store owner who begins the idea of Santa Claus' department-store appearances in the new mo­tion picture, which marks the di­rectorial debut of the international star, Rossano Brazzi.

Irwin "Sonny" Fox was born in Brooklyn, New York, and gradu­ated with a B.A. degree in radio production from New York Uni­versity in 1947. He immediately went to work for Allen Funt's "Candid Microphone," which was a radio forerunner of "Candid Camera."

Even in those days, his most de­lightful moments were spent re­cording children, and Fox ended up with many amusing and re­vealing tapes. In 1948, he joined Arch Oboler in California to work on a series of broadcasts based on Oboler's trip to Africa.

JOINED VOICE OF AMERICA After several other writing jobs, he joined the "Voice of America" as a special events reporter, and this was the beginning of many extensive travels for him. In 1952, he was assigned to Korea, where he legged his tape recorder all over battlefields and broken villages, taping the war and its misery. His material won for the "Voice of America" a citation from Ohio State University for public service.

At the end of his travels, Sonny married Gloria Benson of Roch­ester, New York, and settled in St. Louis, where he became a television personality. His program was called "The Finder," and it was on it that he developed his philosophy of working with and for children that has gained him so many awards and acclaim from parents and educators. He respects the intelligence of his young audi­ence and concentrates on stimu­lating their interest rather than tranquilizing them.

His show proved so successful, he was soon called to New York to emcee the award-winning "Let's Take A Trip." In 1959, he began his "Wonderama" show, which has twice been nominated for an Em­my award. His second show, "Just For Fun," followed soon after­wards.

PRESIDENT OF TV ACADEMY Fox was unanimously elected President of the New York chap­ter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1965. He, his wife, and their four children live in Connecticut.

"The Christmas That Almost Wasn't," filmed in Eastman Color, also stars Rossano Brazzi, Paul Tripp, Lydia Brazzi, Alberto Ra­bagliati and Mischa Auer. Filmed in English in Rome, it features songs with lyrics by Tripp and music by Ray Carter.

Scene Mat TCAW #4
Jonathan (Mischa Auer) and Santa's workshop dwarfs take time
out from their work to try and find a way to raise the rent money
for Santa in the Childhood Productions Eastman Color movie
"The Christmas That Almost Wasn't."

Mischa Auer
Biography

Mischa Auer, the superb comic actor and master of the despondent shrug, returns to the screen in the new, feature-length musical fantasy, "The Christmas That Almost Wasn't," produced by Barry B. Yellen for release by Childhood Pro­ductions.

Mr. Auer brings another of his noted quixotic portrayals to the role of Jonathan, Santa Claus's chief clerk and foreman of the North Pole elves. The motion picture, filmed in Eastman Color and boasting the directorial debut of romantic idol, Rossano Brazzi, is from an original story written for the screen by Paul Tripp.

With his delightful new film characterization, Auer adds yet another phase to a long and suc­cessful career that began when the silver screen was still silent. Al­though he was born in St. Peters­burg, Russia, and always retained his accent, he started acting pro­fessional when he came to America.

He played in the Broadway Theatre in the beginning, then went to Hollywood, where, during the silent era and the early "talk­ies" period, he was cast in exotic roles. His accent and slovic looks allowed him to play many Russian, Indian, Mexican and villainous roles in serious movies.

The big change came in his career in 1936, when he was given the richly comic role of Karol, the poet, with Carole Lombard and William Powell in "My Man God­frey," one of the most sparkling of the witty comedies of that period. Auer caught on greatly in that film, and thereafter was in constant demand for comedy roles, being a popular favorite with pro­ducers and public alike.

WILDLY FUNNY CHARACTERS Just a few of the seventy movies in which his flair for playing wild­ly funny, eccentric characters was given full reign, were "Merry Go Round of 1938," "Little Tough Guys in Society," and Frank Capra's "You Can't Take It With You." In the latter, he created his most famous role, one that is considered a screen classic--the im­perious Russian dancing teacher, who tries to teach serious ballet dancing in the midst of the zany Kirby household.

When the great French director, Rene Clair, came to America, he used Auer in his films with great imagination, and in later years, the actor journeyed to Italy and France to make his movies. His European film appearances include those in "To Hell With Fame," "Mister Arkadin," directed by Or­son Welles, "That Damned Girl" with Brigitte Bardot, and "MonteCarlo" with Marlene Dietrich and Vittorio De Sica. "The Christmas That Almost Wasn't" also stars Rossano Brazzi, Paul Tripp, Lydia Brazzi, Alberto Rabagliati and Sonny Fox. Filmed in English in Rome, it features a bright array of lilting songs with lyrics by Tripp and music by Ray Carter.