Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1939)

'Our America' Reportedly Will Absorb Will Hays With local officials declaring he will probably spend a majority of his time working with Cecil B. DeMille on plans to rush completion of “Our America,” patriotic film which will represent the motion picture industry at both "World’s Pairs, Will Hays, chief of the Ass’n of Motion Picture Producers, has arrived for a stay of from ten days to two weeks. Hays is not expected to call any official producer meetings but will go into conference with studio attorneys regarding the U. S. government’s monopoly suit, association attaches here said. “Our America” was launched under DeMille’s guidance and contains highlights of many historical films made in Hollywood, all woven into the story of one American family. During DeMille’s absence in the east, work has been carried on under the direction of Herb Moulton, with Jeanie Macpherson and Jesse Lasky jr. at work on the script. Pat Casey, Hays office labor contact, is expected in from New York before Hays returns east. On Casey’s arrival, a date will be set for the annual producer-labor basic working agreement parleys which are now long overdue, and out of which parleys students of the scene predict will come the first moves toward an all-industry five-day working week. RKO to Feature Hersholt In 3 Films Annually Details of the deal whereby Jean Hersholt will be featured in three “Dr. Christian” pictures annually for RKO Radio release have just been announced by the studio. Based on the radio plays in which Hersholt has been appearing for the past two years, the series will be produced by William Stephens, president of the Stephens-Lang Corp., which has established headquarters at the General Service studios. First film will be “Meet Dr. Christian,” rolling June 15 for release October 1. Officers of Stephens-Lang, besides Stephens, include Howard Lang, vicepresident and treasurer, and Henry Herzbrun, secretary. Sound Directors Compare Quality oi Recording Major studio sound directors and their assistants met at Universal for their regular monthly discussion of current studio sound recording progress, and listened to comparative runnings of product made in each studio during the past few weeks. They were guests of Bernard Brown, chief of sound at Universal. McCrea to Warner Warner has borrowed Joel McCrea from Samuel Goldwyn to portray the title role in “Career Man,” which rolls June 1. Ann Sheridan is set for the feminine lead and Lloyd Bacon will direct. More Scenarios to Dartmouth Walter Wunger, who two years ago endowed the Irving Thalberg Memorial screen library and a course in screen writing at Dartmouth college, has forwarded 128 scenarios, contributed by every studio in Hollywood, to the university. Production Huddles Occupy Visitors Conferences regarding Selznick International’s production plans for the immediate future are expected to occupy the attention of John Hay Whitney, chairman of the S-I board of directors, upon his arrival here from New York. Next S-I feature to hit the cameras, about June 1, is “Intermezzo,” preparations for which will be given a once-over by Whitney in huddles with David O. Selznick. He will remain for only a week. Also due in from a trip to London and Paris, where he aided in handling the openings of “Wuthering Heights,” is James Roosevelt, vice-president of Samuel Goldwyn, Inc., Ltd. He went abroad several weeks ago. After concluding several important production deals and straightening out the 1939-40 product lineup with Pandro Berman, studio production head, President George J. Schaefer of RKO Radio returned to his New York headquarters. He was accompanied east by Ben Cammack, general sales manager for Latin America, who checked in at the studio after a tour through the far east and South Africa for a day or two of conferences before heading for New York. Herbert Yates, Republic’s head man, and Sol Siegel, associate producer on the lot, have returned from the company’s regional sales convention in San Francisco. Yates remains here for some time yet smoothing out details of Republic’s 1939-40 production plans and other matters pertaining to studio operations. Y. Frank Freeman, Paramount vicepresident, trained to Galveston to attend the Interstate Circuit’s annual convention. He is being entertained there by Robert J. O’Donnell and Karl Hoblitzelle, partners with Paramount in theatre operations in Texas. Howard Strickling, chief of Metro’s studio publicity department, has gone to New York to confer with Howard Dietz regarding the company’s new product. He joins Louis B. Mayer, studio production pilot, there, Mayer having left last week and stopping off at the Kentucky Derby en route. Bringing studio conferences pertaining to production plans for its British unit to a close, Ben Goetz, in charge of Metro’s British operations, has trained out for New York and London. He will be followed shortly by Victor Saville, producer in the Goetz unit. J. D. Trop Will Re-Enter The Production Field With a major release now being negotiated, J. D. Trop, former vice-president of Harry Sherman Productions, has announced plans to re-enter film-making activity with a program of outdoor pictures featuring animals and people. As his first, he has acquired the rights to “Adventure in Taku,” filmed in Alaska with a native cast, from Norman Dawn, and will supervise its editing and scoring. Trop plans to produce four pictures yearly, including “Lostling,” from an original story of his own. No studio or office space has been acquired. Swinging into action after several months of preparations, Cathedral Pictures slated a May 12 starting date for “The Great Commandment,” first of a projected group of pictures illustrating the Biblical influence on modern youth. John Beal has been signed for the lead and Irving Pichel directs. Cathedral is headed by the Rev. James K. Friedrich of the Beverly Hills Episcopal Church and Jack Coyle, formei’ly connected with Republic. The unit is headquartering at Selznick International. Sam Katzman will start “Kid Racketeers,” first of a series of action melodramas starring Jimmy Dunn, May 15. Films are for state-right release, based on stories by Peter B. Kyne. Boris Morros has set a deal with George J. Schaefer, president of RKO Radio, whereby that company will release the initial Morros production, “The Aviators,” co-starring Laurel and Hardy. The film goes before the cameras July 1 as a remake of a French comedy. Normal Speed Manifested By Studio Production Production is maintaining normal speed, with 37 before the cameras and set to be augmented by 11 new vehicles on the starting line. Columbia has seven in work, including “Prison Surgeon,” a new starter. Monogram, having just completed a pair, is temporarily idle. Metro gunned “Blackmail” to total five. Paramount gave the nod to “The Double-Dyed Deceiver” and “Are Husbands Necessary?” giving it a nine-picture deal. RKO Radio lists “The Spellbinder” and “Timber Stampede” as new starts, registering five in production. Republic gunned “Oklahoma Outlaw,” raising its pace to three. Twentieth Century-Fox shoved off with “The Chicken Wagon Family” and “Harmony at Home,” the total lineup standing at five. Universal rolled “The Underpup” and “Bright Victory,” raising its total to four features and a serial. United Artists lists three, none new starts. Warner turned its cameras on “Elizabeth and Essex,” new title for “The Knight and the Lady,” making five in production. Scoring “Geronimo'' Victor Young will do the musical score for Paramount’s “Geronimo,” the Preston Foster starrer. BOXOFFICE :: May 13, 1939 27