Scott joins 'Gloria' cast

GOOD MORNING: George C. Scott, who pulled out of a legit co-starring role with Carroll O'Connor in the upcoming SanFran production of O'Connor's "A Certain Labor Day," will instead join the feature remake of John Cassavetes' 1980 "Gloria" starring Sharon Stone and directed by Sidney Lumet. Scott had also taken early leave of the B'way production of "Inherit the Wind" when suffering from an aortic aneurysm. But he went on to costar (magnificently!) in the grueling TV'd "12 Angry Men." However, he then departed the O'Connor play rehearsals, telling me, "My doctor asked me not to (do the play), the strain would be too much for me." No heart surgery was/is planned. And I am told he has a clean bill of health to do the Columbia film, "Gloria." He plays the role of Ruby Rich, a high-class hood. The pic shoots in N.Y. ... The B'way musical version of the 1957 dramatic feature, "The Sweet Smell of Success" is being written by John Guare and the music is rumored to be written by Marvin Hamlisch. Ernest Lehman, who wrote the original novella, is producing the musical with David Brown who originally bought Lehman's short for Cosmopolitan when Brown was editor -- before he met Helen Gurley (Brown). When the pic rights were bought (by Hecht-Hill-Lancaster), Brown recalled the film producers at first frowned on using the word "Smell" in the title! Lehman and Clifford Odets did the screenplay and Burt Lancaster starred as J.J. Hunsecker, the Winchell-like B'way columnist, and Tony Curtis as a subservient press agent. The B'way show will be presented by Garth Drabinsky's Livent. And talking Cosmopolitan, Brown and wife Helen Gurley Brown just returned from Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, where Cosmo added new editions -- now 35 internationally. On the feature film front, Brown and Dick Zanuck have "Deep Impact" and "Kiss the Girls," and Brown and Scott Rubin are teamed at Par on Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes" (Scribners: 51 weeks on the NYT bestseller list) for which Laura Jones has been signed to script.

"IT'S A NATIONAL OCCASION," Michael Caine said as he readied to depart Miami for London today. He was in Florida tending to business of his newest Brasserie restaurant and the building of a winter residence. But, he said, "This is no time to be sitting here in a flat and watching the telly. It's time to be with family (in England)." He had attended many events with Princess Di present, the last one in July when both were among guests at a London dinner party given by Daily and Sunday Telegraph owner Conrad Black in honor of Katherine Graham's 80 th birthday. Caine recalled they had seen each other just before that event when passing each other in the lobby of the (London) Ritz. "She (Diana) was wonderful. I know we all loved her -- but we didn't know how much." Caine said he had known Dodi Fayed since Fayed was 14. "And I don't recognize him (Dodi) as the playboy he's been painted. He was always very gracious." ... The TViewership of the wedding of Charles & Diana was estimated at 27 million. That figure is expected to be dwarfed by Saturday's global airing of the funeral. ... Frank Howson, one of Australia's successful screenwriters/directors who has moved to L.A., may make his initial mark in Hollywood as a songwriter. His tune "Mr. Insider" was accepted for Joe Eszterhas' "Burn, Hollywood, Burn" (the Alan Smithee film). Howson's just completed the script for "Winter in America."

THERE'LL BE A TWO-DAY delay in the start of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" due to the illness of Jane Seymour during the filming of her "Swiss Family Robinson" feature for Total Entertainment, which Alive will distrib. Seymour is due to complete her role in the pic today, returning Friday to L.A. to further recupe. ... Shawn Toovey, Seymour's son in "Dr. Quinn," teams with Ellen Burstyn in the Disney Channel's vidpic "Flash". ... Armand Assante, Michael J. Fox, Jerry Stiller and Sherry Stringfield were among the 70 N.Y. area Primetime Emmy nominees who received certificates of nomination Wednesday from Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and his office of Film, Theater & Broadcasting. ... Elaine Stritch and George Grizzard, who just teamed on B'way in Edward Albee's "A Delicate Balance," winged here to play Jane Curtin's parents in the second seg of "3rd Rock From the Sun," which bows Sept. 24 in its new. ... Peter Coyote plays "Cybill's" boyfriend from her past in two segs, and judging by reaction to him at the taping, he may be a recurring character. The series returns Sept. 15 with "Cybill" "regressing" to the Court of Henry VIII with Tim Maculain, the show's gay waiter, playing the King, Christine Baranski as Anne Boleyn, and Alicia Witt (Zoey) playing "Cybill's" father (!), while Shepherd plays a lady-in-waiting to the court. Sounds like all escapist stops are out for the new season at Carsey-Werner.