Movie Page - Khyber

Ty's New Design for Living Envy of All

(reprint from “King of the Khyber Rifles” campaign booklet)

After 17 years as a top Hollywood star, Tyrone Power has worked out a design for living that many in and out of the acting profession will envy. When he completed his 39th American film, "King of the Khyber Rifles," another of Twentieth Century-Fox's spectacular CinemaScope productions, he resumed his tour with Paul Gregory's stage reading of "John Brown's Body". When he finishes it he expects to return to Rome, his part-time home, then back to Hollywood for Columbia's West Point film in CinemaScope, "The Long Gray Line".

Life is leisurely in Italy, and I love it," Power explained to his co-stars, Terry Moore and Michael Rennie on the "Khyber Rifles" set. "If you sit all afternoon in the patio in America you feel you've wasted it. In Rome, you've enjoyed it."

Now financially secure as a result of his profit-sharing deal in U-I's "The Mississippi Gambler", Power is in a position to live where he pleases, choose his film and stage roles, and otherwise conduct his personal life free of the restrictions of studio contracts. He has only one more picture to make under his Twentieth Century-Fox pact - an association which made millions for the studio and made Tyrone Power a favorite with two generations of filmgoers, starting with "Lloyds of London" in 1936.

In the future, Ty plans to make two pictures a year - one in Rome in the spring and one in Hollywood in the summer - and spend the fall and winter months on the stage here and abroad. He expects to make one of his two annual films for Twentieth Century-Fox.

Power and his wife, Linda Christian, maintain a home in Hollywood and an apartment in Rome, the latter now being remodeled for spring occupancy.

Now a seasoned, serious actor as contrasted to the collar-ad personality which sustained him as the nation's number one heartthrob two decades ago, Power realizes that the public likes him in romantic action pictures and is not disconcerted that his film roles never are heavy drama. "King of the Khyber Rifles" is a romantic action film in costume, of revolt-torn India of a hundred years ago, and has flamboyance of production in CinemaScope plus a serious story.

Long one of Hollywood's best liked actors, Power has not changed with success. He has high ideals without neurotic drives and ambitions. He is relaxed, quick with a smile, ever ready to shoot the breeze with fellow workers or to tell a funny story.

"I shouldn't like to sound self-satisfied," Ty explained, but if I can go on doing the things I've been doing the past ten years, I couldn't ask for more."