La Calda Vita: Catherine Spaak: The Year in Review

(December 1965 Italian Magazine Cover)

Catherine's career momentum from 1964 continued into 1965. In the winter of 1965, Catherine started the year off by working on La bugiarda, and she was already slated for Madamigella di maupin.

The February 3, 1965 Variety reported that La bugiarda was "currently being filmed."

The February 10, 1965 Variety reported a spring start planned for Madamigella di maupin. (Note: It did not actually start filming until the fall.)

The Paris edition of Vogue in February included a layout of Catherine:

By mid-March, Catherine had finished her work on La bugiarda. The film opened in Italy on March 22, 1965 (per IMDB) and appears to have performed well.

The March 26, 1965 Variety reported that Catherine had "recently wound production on La Bugiarda."

The April 14, 1965 Variety reported that La bugiarda opened well in Milan.

Circle of Love premiered in the U.S. on March 24, 1965 in New York City.

From mid-March through late April, Catherine appears to have spent time in Rome meeting the country's new president in-between jetting off to the Far East to promote Tre notti d'amore (which opened well in Japan), to Argentina to appear at the Mar Del Plata Film Festival, and to the U.S. for reasons unknown.

The March 17, 1965 Variety reported "Catherine Spaak off to Far East after winding pic stint in 'The Liar' [La bugiarda]. She will attend Tokyo preview of her 'Three Nights of Love'."

The March 24,1965 Variety reported Catherine among a list of entertainment stars to be introduced to the new Italian president, Giuseppe Saragat, at the palace in Rome on March 30.

The April 7, 1965 Variety reported "Three Nights of Love" off to a fast start in Tokyo with 6,000 attendees in first night at a single theater.

The April 7, 1965 Variety also reported on the seventh Mar Del Plata Film Festival in Argentina, which ran from March 16 to March 26: "Biggest entrance of all was made by Catherine Spaak, whose publicists had packed press with will-she-or-won't-she-come releases and rumors. Miss Spaak arrived at the Nogaro Theatre (scene of fest screenings this year instead of the theatre in city-operated Casino complex) in the middle of her starring vehicle, 'Tres Noche de Amor." Pic went off, house lights went on, and loudspeaker declared her presence. After taking a few bows, she sat down, and pic resumed. Veteran fest correspondents found this 'tribute' without parallel."

The April 14, 1965 Variety included "Catherine Spaak" on a list designated as "L.A. to N.Y."

The April 28, 1965 Variety reported from Tokyo that "Catherine Spaak, a recent visitor ballying opening of "Three Nights of Love" for Sochiku Eihei, may star in a Sochiku picture if Jolly films gives the nod." It also reported from Rome that "Catherine Spaak back from round-the-world tour."

Here are some magazine pictures showing Catherine on her late-March Far East tour (apparently it went quite well, because you will see in various blog posts a number of pictures of Catherine that appeared in Japanese magazines in the mid-1960's):

Here is some video from the 1965 Mar Del Plata Film Festival in Argentina, which includes a bit of footage of Catherine:

The March 26, 1965 Variety reported on Catherine's upcoming projects in an article called "Spaak Spoken For For Next 4 Films."

With a March 25, Rome dateline, it said "Producer Silvio Clementeli has set Catherine Spaak for four more features, to be shot this year and next. The busy French-born actress who has cut a successful niche in Italian films is currently on a Far East tour on behalf of her "Three Nights of Love." Later she heads for Mar Del Plata Film Fest for showing of pic. First item on new pact is 'Mademoiselle De Maupin,' slated for a May start with Renato Castellani directing for Jolly Films. Pic is in Technicolor, with Horst Bucholz and Jean Claude Brialy probable partners in comedy. Number two is pic version of Lorenza Mazzetti's novel, "Con Rabbia, Con Amore" drama of two sisters. Third pic is sophisticated suspense comedy set in Japan and final film will be a satire, present-day. Actress recently wound "The Liar." [Note: Maupin did not start until the fall, and Robert Hossein and Tomas Milian starred with Catherine instead of Buchholz and Brialy; I am not aware of any movie for Catherine that fit the description for Con Rabbia, Con Amore; apparently the "suspense comedy set in Japan" did not work out.]

In June, Catherine went to Paris for some dubbing work on La bugiarda (presumably for the French release, since the film had already been released in Italy), and she also sang on a Johnny Dorelli special for Italian TV. (Note: I do not know if this is the point where Catherine first met her future husband, Dorelli. There are some clips from this show on youtube, but none of them include Catherine.)

The June 30, 1965 Variety reported "Catherine Spaak to Paris to dub her latest, 'La Bugiarda' (The Liar)."

The June 30, 1965 Variety also included a foreign TV review of a show called "Johnny 7," which it referred to as a "[n]icely packaged summer show, ...practically a refurbished and updated repeat of previous years' stanzas featuring singer-cum-actor Johnny Dorelli. This time a new distaffer backed Paolo Pitagora, another repeater from the '64 show and Didi Perego who is a savvy entertainer and who looks to carve herself a niche with video audiences just as she's established herself in the legit pic orbit. Ratings should be good on this one. ...Several songs were offered by both Dorelli and prominent guesters, such as Catherine Spaak."

I have seen several interviews in which Catherine refers to The Beatles; apparently she was a big fan. The Beatles played in Rome on June 27, 1965. It would be interesting to know if Catherine was able to attend the show before heading to Paris for the La bugiarda dubbing work.

The August 1, 1965 edition of Vogue had an article called "The Young Chicerino" with several female celebrities modeling clothes, including the following photos of Catherine:

After a lull in her film work in the Spring and Summer of 1965, Catherine was very busy for the remainder of the year, working on Madamigella di maupin, Made in Italy, and L'armata brancaleone:

The September 8, 1965 Variety reported from Rome that "Italian producers have apparently taken one rapid look at the b.o. figures for 'Tom Jones' and 'Moll Flanders' and decided that racy costume tongue-in-cheekers were just the thing for them, too. ...Mario Cecchi Gori is currently putting together [a costumer], indicatively titled 'For Love and Gold," which is to costar Gassman and Catherine Spaak. It's slated for a fall start with Mario Monicelli directing. Not surprisingly, Miss Spaak is currently busy in Yugoslavia on a [costumer], Silvio Clementelli's production of 'Mademoiselle de Maupin" (title will probably be changed for the international market for which pic is slated) directed by Mauro Bolognini. It co-features Robert Hossein and Tomas Milian. Pic is budgeted at $1,500,000-a sizable sum by local standards. It's being shot in Technicolor and with an English track, now considered a must for pix intended to travel internationally. Story, loosely based on a w.k. novel by Theophile Gauthier, is a about a young woman who in the 1700's rebels against the customs of her times and sets out to discover the opposite sex by a very simple expedient: she dresses up as a man."

The September 8, 1965 Variety reported "Another pic claims precedence in using Rome's fabled Piper Club dancery as location backdrop, Columbia's 'Made in Italy' in a Catherine Spaak episode."

The September 22, 1965 Variety reported: "Alberto Sordi joined cast of Documento episoder, 'Made in Italy,' which already boasts Virna Lisi, Catherine Spaak, Monica Vitti, Anna Magnani, Silvana Mangano."

The September 29, 1965 Variety reported "Catherine Spaak back from Yugoslavian locations of 'Mademoiselle de Maupin'."

The October 13, 1965 Variety reported "Vittorio Gassman back in Rome from South American stage tour to start 'For Love and Gold.'

The October 20, 1965 Variety reported "Vittorio Gassman in Roman countryside for 'Armata Brancaleone' (For Love and Gold)."

The November 10, 1965 Variety reported: Catherine Spaak starrer "Mademoiselle de Maupin," finished under Mauro Bolognini's direction." It also reported that Vittorio Gassman was busy with "Armata Brancaleone."

The November 23, 1965 Variety reported on Nanni Loy wrapping up filming of "Made in Italy" with shooting in Stockholm.

According to IMDB, The Little Nuns premiered in the U.S. on November 14, 1965 in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Made in Italy premiered in Italy on December 22, 1965 (per IMDB).

Oggi, domani, dopodomani opened in Italy on December 28, 1965 (per IMDB).

By the end of 1965, Catherine was slated to start work on Adulterio all'italiana after the first of the year.

The December 22, 1965 Variety reported: "Sergio Fantoni, who costars with D.D. in 'Do Not Disturb,' next heads to Italy, joins Catherine Spaak in 'Adultery-Italian Style'."

Catherine's second album, Noi siamo i giovani (taken from the chorus of L'esercito del surf) was released in 1965 and sold well. The album included Ieri, her version of The Beatles' Yesterday. Below is a "Fontana" release (in the UK, I believe; it is in English on the back) and the original Ricordi release:

Se mi vuoi mi vuoi/La nostra primavera was released as a single in 1965 but didn't sell as well as her earlier singles.

Here is a 1965 Japanese clipping that appears to show Catherine in a recording studio:

All in all, Catherine's career was still churning full-speed-ahead as she moved into 1966.

Here are some record covers from releases outside of Italy, unsure of the year of release but probably in the 1964 to 1966 time frame (an Israeli release, some South American releases, and a Japanese release), all on the CBS label:

I do not know the exact date of this press photo in order to properly place it in the timeline above, but it shows Catherine at a circus in 1965 with Sabrina and Fabrizio: