Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1939)

Jiiiir 3. 1939 6 T IT A X X I \' K R S A R Y ISSUE Page 47 ACCUNC with the "Oldtimer" Tickled to see that Sidney Salkow's directing ticket has been taken up by Republic for another year, even though he has many years to go before we can list him as an "oldtimer". Good luck, Sid, and be sure to give us some more swell pictures. And talking of "oldtiniers," had a nice chinfest with Joe Engel, Harry Sherman's new production manager. Joe is one of the boys from the old school, dating back to the old Sales Company days, when 14th Street was the home of the picture indu'stry. Hope to see i lot of yon from now on. Over to Warner Bros, for a chat with Charlie Einfeld, and wound up telling him all about our favorite radio actor, Elliott Lewis, the youngest actor on the air with his own Sunday night show. In case you're interested, listen in to "Knickerhocker Playhouse", and see if we're not right. Columbia has announced a series of shorts labeled "Fools Who Made History." Wonder if they had in mind the motion picture industry history or just plain history. We'll soon find out. Paramount will premiere Jack Benny's "Man About Town" in his home town, Waukegan, 111., on June 25. Members of the cast and the entire "Jello" radio troupe will make the trip in a special train. Jack has also consented to act as master of ceremonies at the sales convention banquet at the Ambassador Hotel, June 10, and will tell the boys how to sell film. Spotted four of the regular Hollywood previewers, the other night, sitting through 20th Century-Fox' "Rose of Washington Square" for the second or third time, and wonder if they were looking for the same sequence that brought us back for its fourth showing . . . and we'll see it again. Richard Dix and Gladys George In "Here I Am a Stranger" Cast To round out one of the most colorful casts ever assembled on the 20th Century-Fox lot, Darryl F. Zanuck, studio production chief, announced that Richard Dix and Gladys George have been assigned major roles in "Here I Am A Stranger", currently before the cameras with William Seiter directing. Dix recently completed d starring role in one of the year's outstanding pictures, "Alan of Conquest", and will portray a brilliant newspaperman and writer whose addiction to drink brings tragedy and failure. Miss George will play a deeply poignant role, that of a mother who gives up the man she loves to insure the future of her son. Others in the brilliant cast are Richard Greene and Nancy Kelly, v,'ho are co-starred, and Roland Young, Edward Norris, Kay Aldridge and John Arledge. Harry joe Brown is associate producer. George Marshall Signed by U George Marshall has been signed by Universal to direct "The Man From Montana", starring James Stewart, and has checked on to the lot to begin preparations. The picture is scheduled to go into production as soon as Stewart finishes "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", at Columbia, It will be produced by Joe Pasternak. Univ. Studio Begins 2nd Year Under New Heads l'ni\crsal Studio, entering its second year of operation under new management, will have seven major productions in work this week, with 2,300 employees on the regular pay-roll, an all-time high for the company. Nate Blumberg, president, arrived from New York last Monday for an indefinite stay to check the current production, and lay future plans for the company's continued expansion, in collaboration with Cliff Work, Matty Fox, Milton Feld and other studio executives. Studio improvements, under the supervision of David S. Garber, have been effected in every department, and upward of $300,000 has already been expended on reconstruction and new equipment. Extra crewc have been added to the construction forces of Universal's two giant new sound stages, and it is hoped that both units will be completed by the first of July. Productions shooting currently include John M. Stahl's "Modern Cinderella", Joe Pasternak's "The Underpup", "I Stole a Million", George Raft starrer, "Bright Victory", "Forgotten Women", "First Love" and "Desperate Trails". By mid-June "Sandy Takes A Bow", "Hawaiian Nights" and "Dark Empire" will have started. Busily preparing for future production are more than 30 writers. WB Planning "City of the Angels" With Same Cast As "Dodge City" Warner Bros, is planning to make "City of the Angels", which will deal with the dramatic early days of Los Angeles, as a followup to "Dodge City". The picture will mark the debut of Bob Fellows as an associate producer working under the supervision of Hal B. Wallis, executive producer. The excitement of Los Angeles' pioneer days will be re-lived by most of the "Dodge City" cast, under the direction of Michael Curtiz. Errol Fhnn, Olivia de Havilland, Ann Sheridan, Alan Hale, Frank McHugh, Bruce Cabot, John Litel and Henry O'Neill are slated for leading roles. The production will be filmed in Technicolor and is scheduled to go before the cameras during the middle of the summer. Trying It Out Himself After zvecks of seeing most of his players in hospital cots while he directs them in scenes for U^amer Bros.' "Give Me a Child", Director Lloyd Bacon finally submits to temptation and tries out one of the beds zthile Gale Page and John Litel await his recovery. Small Returns From Vacation Returning from a short vacation, Edward Small, president of Edward Small Productions, Inc., outlined plans for immediate institution of an extensive schedule which will include expenditures of $5,000,000 during the next 12 months. Small embarks upon his second year as a United Artists producer, with commitments to make seven pictures for the 1939-40 program. Tim Holt to RKO Receiving the biggest break in good fortune accorded to a young screen player in several years, Tim Holt has been selected by Producer-director Gregory La Cava for one of the leading roles in "My Fifth Avenue Girl". A Little Conference Between Scenes Russell Haydcn, JP^illiam Boyd. Betty Moran and Britt Wood have a little conference betii'coi scenes of Harry Sherman's latest "Hopa'ong Cassidy" picture, "Range War", to be released by Paramount. Looks like "Hoppy" is trying to sell the lady a bill of goods.