Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1943)

June 12, 19 4 3 MOTION PICTURE HERALD . 33 THE HOLLYWOOD SCENE \ From HOLLYWOOD BUREAU To the welter of discussion, diatribe and debate about the post-war world now flooding the radio channels, the magazines of opinion and the newspaper columns, is to be added, if declarations of intent stand up, the speculations, forecasts and perhaps wishful thinkings of Hollywood producers expressed via the entertainment screen. For announcements of pictures pertaining to the postwar period have begun to flow from the fonts of product with that mounting frequency which marks the inception of a cycle. Two of these announcements were made by different studios on successive days last week. They came within a week after Hilary A. St. George Saunders, assistant librarian of the British House of Commons and official pamphleteer of the British Government, had visited Hollywood on invitation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and urged American producers to undertake at once the making of pictures designed to "prevent the American and British peoples from drifting apart when the war's over." (See Motion Picture Herald, May 29th). The first of these two announcements came from Paramount, the company which abandoned '''Sons of Tokyo" and "SeekStrike-Destroy" when exhibitors began reporting the market oversupplied with war pictures. It said, "Paramount has purchased 'The Time Is Now', an original story by Stanley Paley, dealing with developments in the post-war world. Walter McEwen will produce it. Paley has been engaged to develop the story." Columbia and Republic Join Procession The second came from Columbia. It said, "Columbia Producer Sam Bischoff is preparing 'Lebensraum', a strong dramatic subject and the first dealing with the post-war trials of the culprits whose hands are soiled with the blood of innocents. The story is an original by Albert Newman and Lester Cole, with screenplay by the latter." At the weekend Republic joined the procession, announcing that John C. Metcalfe, described as a former FBI operative who rounded up the leaders of the German-American bund in the Chicago area, had been assigned to write "a fantasy along post-war lines" for the studio's George Sherman to produce this summer. But the cycle, if it turns out to be one in fact as well as on paper, was getting under way before Mr. Saunders came to town and made the suggestion official. A fortnight previously producer-director Sam Wood, whose "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "Saratoga Trunk" are major items in the Paramount and Warner backlogs, announced acquisition of a story by the grandson of the late Dr. Alice Barnsby, founder of London's Barnsby School for Girls, purporting to deal with a codicil in the will of the deceased which becomes effective at the close of the war. The property was described as pertaining to the post-war world. No starting date of production or determination of release was mentioned. Although Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is not on record as having scorned a story at any time Production Steady at 42 The starting of eight pictures and the completion of seven held the production level steady at 42, up a point, with nothing on the horizon to indicate violent fluctuations to come. Columbia's "Cover Girl", standout among the new undertakings, went into shooting stage, with Rita Hayworth, Jinx Falkenburg, Xavier Cugat and his orchestra and the intensively publicized 15 Cover Girls in the cast, Arthur Schwartz producing and Charles Vidor directing. Columbia also started "Cowboy of Lonesome River", a Charles Starrett Western. RKO Radio started its Rookie series with "Adventures of a Rookie" under the production of Bert Gilroy and the direction of Les Goodwins. Universal launched "Second Honeymoon", a musical, presenting David Bruce, Harriet Hilliard, June Vincent, Rod Cameron, Veloz and Yolanda, the Tip, Tap and Toe trio and Ozzie Nelson and his band. COMPLETED Paramount Henry Aldrich Rocks the Cradle PRC Danger — -Women at Work RKO Radio Seventh Victim Behind the Rising Sun Republic Nobody's Darling Universal Mad Ghoul Sherlock Holmes and SHOOTING the Spider Woman Hers to Hold PRC Frontier Law RKO Radio Adventures of a Rookie Universal Second Honeymoon Columbia Restless Lady Without Notice STARTED Columbia r~ x. r t Goldwyn Cowboy of Lonesome River North Star Cover Girl MGM Monogram Cry Havoc I Was a Criminal 1,000 Shall Fall Warren Wilson is producing, Edward Lilley directing. The King Brothers, who produced "I Am a Criminal" some while back, started "I Was a Criminal" for Monogram, with Victor Jory, Pamela Blake, Veda Ann Borg and Paul Fix, under the direction of Kurt Neumann. Twentieth CenturyFox turned its cameras on a Laurel and Hardy number, "Dancing Masters", with Trudy Marshall, Bob Bailey and Matt Briggs in support. Paramount began "Henry Aldrich Rocks the Cradle", with Jimmy Lydon, Charlie Smith, Joan Mortimer, John Litel and Olive Blakeney. Michel Kraike is producing, Hugh Bennett directing. Producers Releasing Corporation started "Frontier Law", with Dave O'Brien, Jim Newell and Guy Wilkerson. Oliver Drake is directing the Alexander-Stern production. The cross-studio picture as of the weekend: Heavenly Body Republic Whistling in Brooklyn Sleepy Lagoon America Russia 20th CenturyFox Madame Curie Guy Named Joe White Cliffs of Dover Night Is Ending Claudia Monogram Revenge of the ^ Zombies Gunmaster (Sherman) Paramount Guadalcanal Diary Song of Bernadette Girls He Left Behind And the Angels Sing Uninvited Hour Before the Dawn PRC Strange Music RKO Radio Iron Major Around the World Universal Frontier Bad Man Angela Cobra Woman Warners In Our Time To the Last Man Saratoga Trunk This Is the Army Animal Kingdom* * — Suspended. because of its origin, the studio is adhering just now to the principle that a book which has established itself as a success offers somewhat more reliable assurance of equivalent success on the screen than other types of properties. By no means closing the door upon originals, plays or windfalls, but by way of indicating major intent, the company lists the following as books now being prepared for production : "The Canterville Ghost," by Oscar Wilde, which is to be brought up to date ; "Dragon Seed," Pearl Buck's book about China, to be filmed in Technicolor ; "They Were Expendable," W. L. White's book about motor torpedo boats, a vehicle for Spencer Tracy ; "See Here, Private Hargrove," by Private Marion Har grove, to star Robert Walker, the young man who made a name for himself as the sailor in "Bataan" ; "Honeyboy," Dailey Paskman's book about the late Honey-Boy Evans, who's to be portrayed by Mickey Rooney; "Mrs. Parkington," a Louis Bromfield work ; "Drivin' Woman," by Elizabeth Pickett Chevalier, concerning the South after the Civil War ; "Memo to a Firing Squad," by Frederick Hazlitt Brennan ; "The Anointed," by Clyde Brion Davis; "The Sun Is My Undoing," by Marguerite Steen; "Valley of Decision," by Marcia Davenport ; "Two Women," by Maxcennce Van der Mersch ; and "If Winter Comes," by A. S. M. Hutchinson, which was filmed several years ago with memorable success.