Sophia Loren Archives - Chronicles 1954

"I need Carlo on my side. I am sure of myself only when he is near me." – Sophia Loren

Carosello napoletano
Cannes Premiere
Photo: Edward Quinn
04/04/54

Italian Film Week
Rivoli Theatre, London
Photo: John Eggitt
25/10/54

Berlin Film Festival
Berlin
Photo: Heinz Koster
28/06/54

Schuberth's Atelier /Ferragamo
Rome
10/54

Carosello napoletano
Italian poster

Attila
Costume fitting session
Photo: Giancolombo
01/54

Peccato che sia una canaglia
De Sica
05/54

Milano Centrale
Arrival
Photo: Fedele Toscani
25/12/54

Avecrem
Spanish publicity

Le Ore (Italy)
Cover: Giancolombo
30/01/54

La donna del fiume
Comacchio
Photo: Federico Patellani
10/54

Miss Weldor 1954
Publicity

Carosello napoletano
Photo Call
Photo: Giancolombo
10/54

Peccato che sia una canaglia
Italian poster

Croisette
Cannes Film Festival
Photo: Kary Lash
05/04/54

Peikov's studio
Rome
Photo: Federico Patellani
11/54

FILMS AND FILMING

Attila
Italy, January - February

L'oro di Napoli
Italy, February - March

Peccato che sia una canaglia
Italy, May - June

La donna del fiume
Italy, August - November

Il segno di Venere
Italy, November - January 1955

FILM PROJECTS

The Girl Rush
RKO officials announce that both Sophia and Eleonora Rossi-Drago are to be film-tested in September for a role in the musical The Girl Rush starring Rosalind Russell. The two Italian actresses finally refuse to compete for a secondary role opposite the American actress.

MOVIE PREMIERES

ITALY
Un giorno in pretura
January 13
Il paese dei campanelli
January 28
Due notti con Cleopatra
February 4
Tempi nostri
March 16
Miseria e nobiltà
April 8
Carosello napoletano
October 1
Pellegrini d'amore
October 11
L'oro di Napoli
December 3
Attila
December 27
Peccato che sia una canaglia
December 28
La donna del fiume
December 29

FRANCE
Carosello napoletano
Cannes, April 4 (Le carrousel fantastique)
Africa sotto i mari
Nice, July 14 (Sous les mers d'Afrique)

WEST GERMANY
La tratta delle bianche
February 5 (Mädchenhandel)

USA
La tratta delle bianche
New York City, June 6 (Girls Marked Danger)
Aida
New York City (Little Carnagie), November 11 (Aida)

SPAIN
Quo Vadis?
February 11
Carosello napoletano
December 23 (Carrusel napolitano)

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Miss Weldor of 1954 - April
Sophia - The International Screen Star - is voted Miss Weldor of 1954 by the national Eutectic Welders Club in Flushing, NY, in the United States.

MAGAZINE COVERS

Italy
Bolero Film, Cinema, Cinema Nuovo, Cineromanzo per tutti, Cronaca, Epoca, L'Europeo, Festival, Film d'oggi, Mascotte, Oggi, Le Ore, Otto Volante, Radiocorriere, I Romanzi di Sogno, Serena, La Settimana Incom, Settimo Giorno, Sorrisi e Canzoni, Tempo, Tentazione, Vie Nuove, Visto, Le Vostre Novelle
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West Germany
IBZ, Kristall, Münchner Illustrierte, Neue Illustrierte, Quick, Stern
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France
Festival, Les Folies de Paris et de Hollywood, Frou Frou, Jours de France, Le Soir Illustré

ENDORSEMENTS

Chlorodont

Avecrem
Sophia endorses the Spanish stock cubes brand and is a star guest in the contest El Buque Fantasma broadcast in Spain.

PUBLIC APPEARANCES

La Bontà di Napoli - January 16
Sophia takes part in a benefit performance called La bontà di Napoli (Napoli's Goodwill) at Teatro San Carlo in Naples. Sophia is dressed as a blindfolded goddess who draws the number of the lucky winner of a benefit lottery. The prize is a brand new Fiat 1100.

Destini di donne - February 4
Sophia attends at a Rome theater the presentation of the film Destini di donne starring Raf Vallone.

Cannes Film Festival - April 4
Sophia attends for the first time the famous French festival where the film Carosello napoletano is presented. She stays at the Carlton Hotel and among the famous Cannes photographers who catch her in their camera eyes are: Edward Quinn, Leo Mirkine and Serge Lido. Lollobrigida is still the reigning queen but things will soon change. Festival dates: March 25 through April 9.

Miss Weldor - April 12
American Eutectic Welders Club of Flushing, NY, hands in to Sophia a framed parchment certificate at the Foreign Press Building in Rome for the title Miss Weldor of 1954, which translates into "the girl we'd most like to weld with".

Berlin Film Festival - June 28
Sophia and Gina Lollobrigida, top rivals in Italy, meet for the first time at the Berlin Film Festival. Historical photos of both vixens, both dressed by Schuberth, are taken with Yvonne De Carlo in the middle during the evening gala.

Italian Film Week in London - October 25
To launch the Italian Film Week in London - where Carosello napoletano is presented - Unitalia, the official organization of the Italian film industry, flies two plane loads of actresses, including Sophia and Gina Lollobrigida. The two stars avoid each other like the plague. For the opening ceremonies at the Empire Theatre Sophia is dressed in a strapless evening gown, - which she picked up at Schubert's atelier a few days before - with a matching fur-trimmed cape, wearing a rhinestone tiara for her hair. Queen Elizabeth II looks a bit perturbed when Sophia curtsies before her but says nothing as photographers' cameras are flashing.

On the Waterfront Screening - November 11
Sophia attends the screening of "On the Waterfront" with actor Marlon Brando in Rome where he receives the Francesco Pasinetti prize. The screening is given for the benefit of the victims of the Salerno flood which occurred a few weeks before.

Single Males and Females Conference - December 5
Sophia is invited by Countess Marisa Pazzi to be guest of honor at the International Conference for single men and women (Convegno degli scapoli e delle nubili) which brings Italy's fashionable people together in Capri.

Christmas Gifts to the Poor - December 10
Sophia participates in Christmas festivities on Piazza Navona in Rome where gifts are handed to poor children.

US Leghorn Army Depot - December 15

Sophia wants to meet more American men to prepare herself for a visit to the USA, so she is invited for the opening of a new dining room at the US Leghorn Army Depot, at Camp Darby, near Livorno, in a campaign aimed at boosting her exposure in the USA where her film Aida was released a few weeks before.

Pizzaiola in Milan - December 25
Sophia is greeted by hundreds of fans at her arrival at Milano Centrale. She is officially visiting the city for the first time and is welcome at Palazzo Marino by Mayor Virgilio Ferrari. As she is promoting the movie L'Oro di Napoli that just came out, Sophia hands out hundreds of pizzas at Piazza Babila.

Godmother for Beauty Contest -
Sophia acts as the godmother of the annual beauty contest organized by weekly magazine Vie Nuove.

SONGS & RECORDS

Mambo Bacan
(Roman Vatro, Francesco Giordano)
Directed by Armando Trovajoli

TV SHOWS

Arrivi e partenze - April 11
Star guest on Italian variety show hosted by Mike Bongiorno.

Rosso e nero - May 6
Star guest at the variety show hosted by Nino Taranto.

US Marine Band - September
Sophia is invited by an Italian TV network to greet Marine Corps music band composed of young American orphan kids in Rome. They sing a serenata to Sophia as she closes her eyes and make a wish.

EDITOR'S NOTES

Topless - February
Sophia is shown topless for the second time with the movie Due notti con Cleopatra. Those scenes can be seen on some publicity posters for both Italian and foreign releases.

First Encounter with De Sica - February
Sophia has an interview with Vittorio De Sica but they don't talk about any specific movie project. One week later, he calls Sophia and asks her if she can leave for Naples the next day. Yes, Sophia is going for the Gold of Naples.

Pneumonitis - March
Sophia finds herself very sick after contracting bronchial pneumonia during L'oro di Napoli scene where she strolls through the pouring rain. She has to remain inactive and spends most of her time in bed. Her first public appearance after her convalescence is at the Cannes Film Festival during the first week of April.

Emilio Schuberth

Sophia adopts Neapolitan designer Emilio Schuberth whose fashion house in located on via Settembre in Rome. Sophia is not ready yet for Dior collection with its emphasis of the bustline as she is quoted as saying, in August, "the new Dior line doesn't apply to me. I am Italian - Neapolitan, in fact." It won't be long before Sophia changes her mind and becomes one of Dior's main customers for years.

Sophia's Press Agent
Enter Basilio Franchina in the career of Sophia with the objective, under Ponti’s direction, to make her a new Pygmalion. Franchina will become over the years one Sophia's most important confidents.

Diamond Ring - September
Ponti comes to the Donna del fiume set on the last day of shooting and offers Sophia a ring with two diamonds, one black and one white. It is the first significant gift Carlo offers Sophia, which implies the commitment for a long-term relationship.

Sophia's Statue - November
Sophia poses for Bulgarian-born artist Assen Peikov who scupts a 7-meter high statue in his via Margutta atelier in Rome.

Censured Cover - December
Cronache magazine publishes on its December 21 cover a picture of Sophia in lingerie which later takes its editor Gualtiero Jacopetti to court for indecency with a fine of $130. According to the judge the picture taken by photographer Domenico Esposito showing Sophia lifting her evening gown to show her long, well-formed legs "offended good taste".

San Remo - December

Announcement that Sophia will be part of the jury in charge of selecting the songs to be presented at the 1955 edition of the San Remo Song Festival. Sophia will eventually turn the offer down.

Gene Cook Exhibit - December
"Sophia Loren, the new Italian doll they're all talking about, is now to be seen at Photographer Gene Cook's one-man show at the N.Y. Camera Club. When Cook shot her in Italy, she was driving her own fast car at a shocking clip and suddenly swung around and took after a high-powered Isotta Franchini which turned out to be driven by her boy friend. Cook asked her how she knew her beau was near. "I could tell by the sound of his motor," she said—so evidently motor music has replaced mandolin music in modern Rome." The New York Times.

Carlo Ponti
Carlo produces many movies which will become classics over the years, such as La Strada by Fellini and La Romana by Zampa, starring Lollobrigida. L'oro di Napoli, Attila and La donna del fiume are produced by Ponti-De Laurentiis Cinematografica.