Brigitte Bardot’s Triumph; The Latest Craze: Atomic Shelters

Brigitte Bardot’s Triumph

A victory for Brigitte Bardot over the enemies of animals. She phoned President Giscard d’Estaing and secured an end to the cruel experiments conducted by the road-accident research center in Lyon on 36 monkeys and 21 pigs. This is another stage in the French star’s long struggle on behalf of four-legged creatures.

The animals, along with human corpses donated or collected from among unidentified deceased people, were hurled, among other things, against walls at tremendous speed, and the researchers claim that the safety devices tested later saved many people.

But far too many people think otherwise. A state commission of inquiry has been appointed to examine the matter, and as for the monkeys—as Brigitte was promised—they will return to Africa after a short recovery period.

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The Man Who Angered Giscard

Freedom of speech over the airwaves in France apparently does not extend to the comedian in the spotlight today, Coluche. He was dismissed after a week presenting a regular program on Radio Monte-Carlo.

The official reason: angry letters about the program’s foul language—and Coluche is, after all, known for his very sharp style. But those in the know maintain, and the comedian does not deny it, that the cause was several barbs he aimed at President Giscard d’Estaing over the famous Bokassa diamond affair. But Coluche says he is pleased. In return for his “quiet departure,” Radio Monte-Carlo agreed to broadcast free publicity for his latest record, which is banned from the airwaves, for his performances, and also to air his sketches frequently. And a solution like that is exactly to the taste of the portly cynic.

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“Christina Was Jealous of Princess Caroline”

Now that Sergei Kauzov is already in the advanced and formal stages of divorce from Christina Onassis, he allows himself to open his heart and pour out the secrets of his marriage to journalists.

Why did you marry her?

“First of all because she asked me to. And secondly—the Russians love full-figured women...”

And something about his former wife’s personality: “She was so jealous of Princess Caroline of Monaco that she made sure to provide gossip columns with material about herself personally.” Kauzov vehemently denies the rumors that he received an oil tanker as a divorce gift. Which may explain this frankness.

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“Emmanuelle” Reveals Her Secret

Sylvia Kristel, the famous “Emmanuelle,” has recently been getting fairly “well-dressed” roles in Hollywood.

Now she has agreed to reveal the secret that enabled her to act so freely in the hottest scenes. She is short-sighted and does not notice the crew around her at all.

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Jerry Lewis on Abdel Nasser

Jerry Lewis has been giving a series of performances these days at the Olympia hall and proved that classic routines such as “The Typewriter” and “The Orchestra Conductor” have lost none of their appeal. In the process, he recalled memories from before the flood—that is, from before Israeli-Egyptian peace.

When Gamal Abdel Nasser discovered that Jerry Lewis was Jewish, he banned the screening of his films in his palace—films that the Egyptian president’s children, above all, used to watch. One of them managed to send Jerry a letter that reached its destination.

“I will always love you,” little Nasser wrote to the ostracized Jewish comedian.

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The Latest Craze: Atomic Shelters

The tense international situation has brought a wave of advertising in France for a new-old product that some people are now interested in turning into a mass-market item. We mean atomic shelters.

A nimble construction company is already offering anyone who wants one the installation of a sophisticated shelter against the horrors of nuclear war, whose threatening shadow is once again darkening the background, following the growing tension between East and West.

Among the distributors’ other arguments: “Israel is one hundred percent equipped with shelters like these.”

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The Vatican Rejected Paul Newman

The Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi is still looking for the right actor to portray Pope John Paul II on screen in the film he is preparing about him.

Recently the Vatican rejected Paul Newman’s candidacy for the role. The reasons: his image is too stern, too sexy, and he has played corrupt types too often...

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A Free Performance for Khomeini

The American singer living in Paris, Bessie Holloway, is currently trying to get invited to perform for Ayatollah Khomeini in Tehran. She is asking for no payment for this performance.

“I have performed in the past for Emperor Bokassa in Central Africa and for the Shah of Iran,” says Bessie, “and you know what happened to them afterward. So perhaps now too...”