ABC wants Crawford for 'Good,' 'View'

New DVD features rare 'Hush' footage

By LIZ SMITH

ABC IS HOT on Cindy Crawford. They want her as a regular on "Good Morning America" and "The View." She did a great job last week on ABC and nobody can believe this beauty has turned 42. Well, 40 is now the new... 25. ... I am going to be in high cotton on March 17 when the Stella Adler Studio honors Martin Sheen, Pamela J. Newman, the late Roy Scheider and me at their "Stella by Starlight" dinner in Cipriani 23rd. A new scholarship will be inaugurated in the name of our old friend Roy. Call 212-689-0087 ext 27 and join us.

THERE'S A NEW DVD in the works about the making of the 1964 Gothic thriller, "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte." This starred Bette Davis and her old friend Olivia de Havilland. Movie began as a vehicle for Bette and Joan Crawford as a follow-up to their Grand Guignol smash hit, "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" Davis made Joan's days on the 'Charlotte" set a living hell. Eventually, Crawford claimed illness and withdrew from the movie, paving the way for Olivia. But, Crawford did film a number of scenes, at least 10 minutes worth. And these rarities will surface in the DVD. Shaun Considine, the author of the dishy "Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud" is to provide commentary. ... Next, it's time for Fox to get ahold of all that footage from "Cleopatra" -- three or more hours worth, and restructure the epic as director Joseph L. Mankiewicz intended, two films -- "Caesar and Cleopatra" and "Anthony and Cleopatra."

AND WHILE we have the good old days in mind, everybody at George and Jolene Schlatter's Academy Awards viewing party was blown away with an advance peek at a big new coffee table book coming from Altovise Davis, widow of Sammy Davis Jr., an amateur photographer of note. Veronique Peck, Joan Collins, Betsy Bloomingdale, Barbara Sinatra and Ginny Mancini were among those admiring Sammy's never before seen images of his old Rat Pack buddies -- Frank, Dino, Peter Lawford -- as well as candids of Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe.