Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1949)

28 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, April 9, 1949 Hollywood Newsreel West Coast Offices — 6777 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 28, Calif. — Ann Lewis, Manager PRODUCTION PARADE niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Rosalind Russell, who started work this week in Columbia's "My Next Husband," has purchased "Oh Promise Me," an original screen corned)' by Leigh Jason and Louise Randall Pierson. The property is owned by Miss Russell personally and does not come under her independent producing setup of Independent Artists. * * * Producer Lindsley Parsons has re-signed Roddy MoDowall to a new long-term contract. Producer and actor have been associated for the past two years, during which time McDowall starred in "Rocky," "Kidnapped" and "Tuna Clipper." Planned for early filming under the new deal is "Red Rover," based on James Feni more Cooper's famous novel. * * * Lou Appleton of Knickerbocker Productions, left for 'Paris, Rome and Venice to set up his production schedule for "The Thief of Venice," which will roll in June. Appleton and his associates plan to shoot most of the picture in Venice entirely in English dialog from a script turned in by Jesse Lasky, Jr. No releasing deal has been set. * * * Ellen Corby, who won an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in "I Remember Mama," has been signed by Pine-Thomas for a featured role in Paramount's top-budget picture "Captain China." Film is scheduled to roll the middle of April with Lewis Foster directing. * * * As a starring vehicle for Greer Garson, MGM has purchased an original play by Producer Edwin H. Knopf, "Mr. Imperium," the romantic story of a girl who falls in love with a king. Written by Knopf for the New York stage, the play was bought by the studio instead. Knopf will write the screenplay as well as produce the picture. * * * Samuel Goldwyn has assigned Ben Hecht to do the screenplay on "Edge of Doom," a novel he purchased from Leo Brady, previously unknown author. Book will be published in August and is about the murder of a priest by a young man in personal conflict with the Catholic Church. Hecht has already started his assignment. Another best-selling South Sea adventure novel "Fair Wind to Java," has been purchased by Republic as a starring vehicle for John Wayne. The new book is authored by Garland Roark, who wrote "Wake of the Red Witch," studio's biggest money-maker in years. * * * Alan Marshal was signed by 20th CenturyFox on a one-picture deal to play opposite Claudette Colbert in "Three Came Home" which rolls in April with Jean Negulesco directing. Benedict Bogeaus purchased one of the last stories written by Damon Runyon, "Johnny One-Eye." The plot was taken from an actual Broadway incident about a big-time mobster, By Ann Lewis iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii PICTURES STARTED LAST WEEK COLUMBIA. South of Death Valley — Principals: Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette. Director, Ray Nazarro. My Next Husband — Principals: Rosalind Russell, Robert Cummings, Marie McDonald. Director, Norman Foster. MGM. Battleground — Principals: Van Johnson, John Hodiak, Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy. Director, William Wellman. MONOGRAM. Kid Comes West — Principals: Johnny Mack Brown, Max Terhune. Director, Ray Taylor. REPUBLIC. Wyoming Bandit — Principals: Allan "Rocky" Lane, E. Waller. Director, Phil Ford. SCREEN GUILD. Ringside — Principals: Don "Red" Barry, Tom Brown. Director, Frank McDonald. TITLE CHANGES "Mr. Joseph Young of Africa" (RKO) now THE GREAT JOE YOUNG. a six-year-old girl and a mongrel dog. United Artists will release the picture. * * * Theodora Lynch, coloratura soprano under contract to the studio, will sing a special arrangement of the aria from "Cavalleria Rusticana" in Monogram's "Forgotten Women." The picture is scheduled to go before the cameras sometime next month, with Jeffrey Bernerd producing. * * * Charles Lamont will direct "Bagdad," Yvonne De Carlo's next picture for Universal-International. This will be the fourth teaming of Miss DeCarlo and Lamont, who directed her first Universal picture "Salome, Where She Danced." * * * Samuel Goldwyn has borrowed Susan Hayward from Walter Wanger for the co-starring role opposite Dana Andrews in "My Foolish Heart," Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein's screen adaptation of "Uncle Wiggily," the J. D. Salinger story which appeared in The New Yorker. Mark Robson will direct. Studio Roundup There was unexepected action and some which will not be incorporated into the film when Director Michael Curtiz took the cast and crew of Warners' "The Octopus and Miss Smith" to Malibu for location shooting. Curtiz crawled under a boathouse to give instructions to Jane Wyman and Dennis Morgan and was almost knocked out when a falling beam hit him on the forehead. The gash in the director's head was patched up by studio first-aid men and he resumed shooting later in the day. Robert Douglas, a member of the film's cast, will go into the same studio's "Barricade" when he finishes his current assignment. Elia Kazan has been called in from New York to direct Darryl Zanuck's "Pinky" at 20th Century-Fox. Kazan, who had been on the point of leaving to stage "Death of a Salesman" in London, replaces the ailing John Ford. Ford stepped out on doctor's orders after being bedded for two weeks with a sprained back and shingles. RKO's "The Big Steal" resumed production this week after a 30-day layover. Cast, headed by Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer, started with some outdoor scenes, moved into the studio then and will. fly to Mexico later this month to wind up location sequences. ' Hans Conreid, who plays Professor Kropotkin on radio's "My Friend Irma," has been signed for two film roles. He replaces the late Felix Bressart in Hal Wallis' version of "My Friend Irma" and has also joined the cast of SkirballManning's "Love Is Big Business." Emphasis at MGM, where both "Battleground" and "Annie Get Your Gun" got under way this week, has been strictly warlike. Prop department received a railroad carload of battle equipment including motor vehicles and hand grenades from the Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Actors and extras have been practicing hand-tohand combat, judo and bayonet practice, with additional practice for the parachute jumps which will be used only for main title background. Van Johnson, John Hodiak, George (Continued on Page 30) Advance Planning Avoids Pitfalls, Says Kaufman "Correct advance preparation on a screenplay and story avoids many expensive pitfalls after shooting starts," declares Joe Kaufman, associate producer, in an exclusive STR interview. And Kaufman speaks from experience, for with Producer-Director Roy Del Ruth he made two successful Allied Artists pictures, "It Happened on Fifth Avenue" and "The Babe Ruth Story." "Everyone concerned with the making of the picture must consider costs and values in advance," he continued. "If these preparations are made, then any emergency that arises during production can easily be met without adding any extra expense or wasting any precious time. "For instance, 'Red Light,' the picture we are now shooting, was two years in preparation. I bought the original story two years ago and we worked on it until we were sure everything was ready. And I feel that we have a very fine picture coming up, one with an interesting and entertaining message and the qualities that spell box-office." Originally, "Red Light," too, had been scheduled for Allied Artists release, but casting problems made it necessary to seek another distribution outlet United Artists — for this one picture. Kaufman started in show business in the exhibition field many years ago and passed through distribution and other phases of the industry. Four years ago he became associated with Roy Del Ruth and, together, they formed Roy Del Ruth Productions. Joe Kaufman