Someday the Film Will Come

The story behind the animated film “Happily Ever After” is no fairy tale.

Five years and at least three false starts later, the film professing to show what became of Snow White is scheduled to hit theaters next week.

Previous efforts to release the film, completed in 1988 by the now-defunct Filmation cartoon factory, collapsed.

The film is being released through an obscure Texas company, 1st National Film Corp., whose most recent public documents suggest the company’s future is on the line. Without a decent box office, the documents say, the company may be unable to pay creditors and overhead.

Walt Disney Co., which released its classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937, once sued Filmation, which promised that characters in its Snow White movie--and in a Pinocchio film that bombed--would not resemble the Disney characters.

As it turns out, “Happily Ever After” will arrive just before Disney re-releases “Snow White” this summer. A Disney spokesman said he believes the timing is suspect.

“Happily Ever After” Executive Producer Lou Scheimer swears it’s only coincidence. But, he adds: “I don’t blame them. I would be thinking the same thing.”

Notice 54, What Are You?

Tom Compere of Brentwood received a baffling “Notice 54” from the Internal Revenue Service. Seems that Compere’s refund check was larger than the refund amount he listed on his tax form.

The notice advised him that he might not want to cash the check because of the discrepancy. But if he did cash the check, the IRS advised, the agency might have to charge him interest if it eventually realizes he never should have received the check.

As for why the amount on the check differed, the IRS told Compere: “You should receive an explanation of the difference soon, if you haven’t received it already. We are sorry we have to send the explanation on a separate notice, but our current computer system won’t allow us to do otherwise.”

Champagne Travel Wishes

Tips to the business traveler from “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” host Robin Leach, courtesy of Frequent Flyer magazine:

* Leach says his least favorite airline is Russia’s Aeroflot, where he once was served an orange for a meal.

* Forget flying coach. (“I revel in first-class,” Leach says.)

* Private planes are comfortable and private, Leach says, but “totally inefficient” because the crews have to stop to rest.

Briefly. . .

The federal Resolution Trust Corp. has yet to close the sale of the Doubletree Resort near Palm Springs, 18 months after boasting that the auction of the property was a big success. . . . A Westside tanning business promotes the fact that it was voted the nation’s best tanning center by Tanning Trends magazine. . . . Superior Galleries in Beverly Hills will auction a handwritten Bruce Lee note on June 5 for an estimated $750 to $1,250.