'Red Line' in the black

GOOD MORNING: There's no "red" in "The Thin Red Line": the $50 million Phoenix-Fox film is on budget and on sked, George Stevens Jr. happily reports from Down Under. They are in mountainous jungles out of Port Douglas, and torrential rains made it impossible to get the film gear out -- even with the company's four-wheel drive -- but 'copters were brought to the rescue. The star-heavy cast will be billed alphabetically, with the exception of top-starred Sean Penn, who is involved in the largest part of the film sked. And, adds Stevens, "He was the real force in keeping this project together -- through its ups and downs, he gave continual support until all the principals were assembled" and the movie moved on from its turnaround from Sony to its current Fox release. The stars, including John Travolta, George Clooney, John Savage, Woody Harrelson, John Cusack and Nick Nolte, are all working for far less than their usual salaries and proportionate to their time worked. Stevens says they were able to get this cast because of Terrence Malick's script, which he also directs. It's based on the James Jones book about the courageous infantrymen in the battle for Guadalcanal. Stevens says he did not see the original, 1964 pic, directed by Andrew Marton from a script by Bernard Gordon. It starred Keir Dullea and Jack Warden. This version will have the cooperation of the Dept. of Defense and an aircraft carrier will be used in the sequence in which the admiral will be played by Travolta. The pic winds filming Oct. 24 but Stevens will wing to L.A. Sept. 14 to start confabs with Don Mischer on the "Kennedy Center Honors," to tape Dec. 7.

UNKNOWN TO THE PAPARAZZI, Dodi Fayed was in L.A. last Monday, Aug. 25, for 24 hours, during which he attended to some business at his office at Sony and stopped at Cedars-Sinai to visit Nicky Blair, his friend of 20 years. Blair was undergoing treatment for a tumor on his spine. Fayed had told Blair that Princess Di was "such a wonderful person" and Nicky, laughingly asked, "Am I going to be flower boy?" Their friendship dated back to the days when Blair owned his swinging restaurant on the Sunset Strip and they'd party together. "He was always generous," Blair recalled; "when I was in London, he insisted I stay in his (father's?) hotel." Blair, now an outpatient, taking radiation treatments daily at Cedars-Sinai, says he could no longer handle the rigors of running his Las Vegas restaurant; he closed it Saturday night, having sold it to the Capitol Grill company, which will give it their name. But, Blair promises to "beat it" (cancer) and open another eatery in L.A. next year. He'll be welcomed back. ... Princess Di had been invited by BAFTA-L.A. to present the Britannia award to Dustin Hoffman Sept. 24 at the BevWilshire. She sent a personal note of regret, apologizing that she was already booked for another charity event. ... As noted here Tuesday, Marlon Brando, although in Montreal to shoot "Free Money," was a no-show at the Place des Arts, where his "On the Waterfront" co-star Rod Steiger was receiving the lifetime achievement award Sunday night. But the following night, Steiger was dining (with award seg producer Darrah Meeley) in Montreal's Orchid de Chine restaurant where, seated at the next table was "I could been a contenda, Charlie" Brando. He was dining with a group of "The Opium Wars" Chinese filmmakers. Brando, who had missed a coupla days shooting on "Free Money" because of a cold, had to work the day of the Steiger award presentation, it was explained. The two, who claimed they hadn't seen one another in 44 years, hugged (!) and apparently let bygones be bygones.

ALTHOUGH HE SAYS HE DOESN'T drink alcoholic beverages, Eric Douglas, in Thailand, is doing commercials for Singha Beer -- whose boss is Nick Bhirom Bhakdi, with whom young Douglas went to prep school. ... On the final two days of the Venice Film Fest, Fay Kanin, chairwoman of the Acad's often-queried foreign-language film committee, will co-moderate (with Nik Powell, chairman of the European Film Academy) "An Encounter Between European and American Filmmakers." Should be very lively, sez Fay, since participants include Bernardo Bertolucci, Wim Wenders, Ismail Merchant, James Ivory, Saul Zaentz, Ettore Scola, Jim Jarmusch, Istvan Szabo, Jim McBride, Agnieska Holland and Marlene Gorris. ... Meanwhile, here at the Laugh Factory's Comedy Camp Graduation (average age of the comics: 14 years!), the kids not only got plaques and checks from Jamie Masada, but three got audition appointments from studio and talent exex in the audience. ... When Julian Myers starts his 20th year conducting "Entertainment Public Relations" at UCLA Oct. 7, he'll have two of the same guest speakers as in 1977: Paul Bloch and Dale Olson. ... The L.A. Opera opens its 12th season tonight with Placido Domingo and Maria Ewing starring in "Fedora," followed by a Russian-themed, black-tie gala on the Music Center Plaza. Among music lovers expected is Lisa Marie Presley, who just duetted with her father, Elvis. ... Bruce Springsteen delighted patrons at the Derby (on Los Feliz) when he sang five tunes with the house band, Jimmy & the Gigolos. ... Hal Linden is this year's honoree at the N.Y. High School Reunion, at BevHills High, Sept. 27. Linden's Manhattan's Music & Arts High School grad. ... Billy Van Zandt takes time off writing and producing TV series to return to acting in "Moon Over Buffalo" at the Pasadena Playhouse Sept. 21. ... And auditions are being held for thesps to play Charlie Chaplin and William Randolph Hearst in Steven Peros' "The Cat's Meow," to bow Oct. 19 at the Coast Playhouse. It's the (fictionalized) Thomas Ince story.