Ebola plague hits Close to home

GOOD MORNING: The Ebola terror spreading through Zaire is no secret to -- Glenn Close. Her father, Dr. Bill Close, lived in Zaire for many years and was on hand during the earlier, equally terrifying Ebola outbreak in 1976. Dr. Close tried to cure that plague back then. His efforts and those of others are described in "Back in the Hot Zone" by Richard Preston in the May 22 New Yorker. I learned that Glenn Close tried, at Columbia, to develop a script about the Ebola terror after her father's experiences in '76 but it didn't work out then ... Glenn has thoughts anew about the stranger-than-fiction Ebola as she's readying to depart "Sunset Boulevard" on Broadway and return to movies ... Andrew Lloyd Webber was in L.A. last week for legit and movie meetings after catching Sarah Brightman's concert. Webber talked his Broadway-musicalized "A Star Is Born" with Larry Gelbart (book) with songs by Harold Arlen including "The Man Who Got Away" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin), which Judy Garland immortalized in the movie. More Arlen tunes would be sought from his copious catalog, which ranges from "I've Got the World on a String" to "I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues,""Let's Fall in Love" to "Down With Love." While here, Webber also talked with potential directors for his movie musical, "Whistle Down the Wind." Now back in London, the workaholic Webber's meeting with Alan Ayckbourn to workshop his only flop, "Jeeves" (1973). He's determined to bring it back -- as a hit ..."General Hospital" bows its AIDS-related storyline Monday -- ABC is so high on it, they will also film an after-school docu on the case history of the AIDS patient (played by Michael Sutton) and his girlfriend (Kimberly McCullough) as their story unspools on the soaper. The docu will be produced, written and directed by Emmon Harrington and John Watkin, who also did "Jackie's Dilemma," on teen pregnancy. The AIDS docu's to be done in conjunction with the soap's troupe, headed by exec producer Wendy Riche.

NO MISSING OSCAR. Humphrey Bogart's "The African Queen" Oscar is in the proud possession of Bogie's son, Stephen, who has just completed "Bogart -- In Search of My Father" (with Gary Provost) for Dutton. Steve's mother, Lauren Bacall, will write the foreword and she approved the book, Steve tells me. He was 8 when his father died, Jan. 14, 1957, nine days before his 58th birthday -- even though Bogie liked to have everyone believe he was born on Christmas Day! He was a chain smoker and died of cancer. I was at his funeral at All Saints Episcopal Church Jan. 17, 1957, when John Huston (also a chain smoker) intoned, "We have no reason to feel any sorrow for him, only for ourselves for having lost him. He is quite irreplaceable. There will never be another like him." I was shocked when Stephen told me he, too, is a smoker. But vowed to quit. "My mother's on me all the time!" Good. Having written one novel, "Play It Again, Sam," Steve, formerly a TV producer, says he will continue his novelist career ... Adam Nimoy returned from directing his father, Leonard, for the first time. It's Showtime's remake of "The Outer Limits," Nimoy pere in a role once played by Howard da Silva. Young Nimoy says his director-actor-writer-producer father "gave me a lot of leeway. It was a great experience." Young Nimoy next directs UPN's "Deadly Games"... Brendan Fraser plays Ricki Lake's husband and Shirley MacLaine's son in "Mrs. Winterbourne." They film in Toronto ... Brian Dennehy, fresh from a short stay on Broadway, co-stars in the BBC's "Nostromo," co-starring Albert Finney, Colin Firth and Claudia Cardinale. Alistair Reid directs. He and Dennehy teamed in HBO's "The Jackie Presser Story." The six-hour "Nostromo" mini films in Cartagena, Colombia. It was originally a movie developed by David Lean and Robert Bolt. Fernando Ghia produces the TV'er written by John Hale, based on the Joseph Conrad novel ... The Bruins' hockey star Adam Oates is Hollywood-bound for an acting career debut and meets with Clyde Ware for "Cass" starring Martin Sheen.

BRANSON AND NASHVILLE proved to be a talent gold mine for Richard Jay-Alexander, exec producer of Cameron Macintosh's "Les Miserables," "Miss Saigon" and "Phantom." After auditions in the country capitals, Alexander told me 30-40 jobs will be given to B'way and national touring companies of "Les Miz." The role of Fantine was awarded to Suzy McMonagle, now appearing in Branson's "Pump Boys and Dinettes." Alexander told me he's in love with Branson and plans a return! "We found talent to spare." He wants Glen Campbell to play Jean Valjean. "I'll do everything in my power to get him to play him."... Mace Neufeld presented the Johnson Comprehensive Cancer Center donations and matching funds of $ 100,000 through the Helen Neufeld fund at Wednesday night's Stop Cancer research awards at the BevWilshire. The $100,000 funds will be presented annually through 1997 ... KTLA's Stan Chambers receives the Muscular Dystrophy Assn.'s Humanitarian Award Saturday at the BevHilton ... Don't ask me how the names got switched here Wednesday, but it was Ilya Salkind (and wife Jane Chaplin) who won their suit vs. Ilya's father, Alexander Salkind.