Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1940)

Hoi lyw ood — — Pe rsonnelities Clefiers — Metro Herbert Stothart doing score for “I Married an Angel,” next Jeanette MacDonald-Nelson Eddy picture, which Robert Z. Leonard is to direct for Producer Hunt Stormberg. Bronislau Kaper and C. Bakaleinikoff complete score for ‘‘The Captain Is a Lady.” George Stoll schedules conferences with Paul Whiteman when the latter arrives June 3 to work out routines for Whiteman’s appearance in “Strike Up the Band.” — RKO Radio Chet Forrest and Bob Wright writing lyrics for “The Morning Star,” a tune by Edward Ward which will be used as the theme song for “Dance, Girls, Dance.” Paul Sawtell scoring “$1,000 Marriage.” Frank Tours doing score for “Tom Brown’s School Days.” Roy Webb scoring “Anne of Windy Poplars.” Meggers — Columbia James Moore to “March of Crime,” from a story by Robert Tasker, which Gordon Kahn is scripting. Ralph Cohn will produce. Moore was formerly a test director at Paramount and RKO Radio. — Metro Joe Newman to “Crime Merchant,” a “Crime Does Not Pay” short. — Republic Lew Landers to “Sing, Dance, Plenty Hot,” which Robert North will produce. Johnny Downs has the lead. — RKO Radio Frank Woodruff to “Debutantes, Inc., in which Kay Francis and James Ellison have toplines. — Universal Christy Cabanne to “The Mummy’s Hand,” a Ben Pivar production. — Warner George Amy to an untitled short featuring Matty Malneck and his orchestra. Gordon Hollingshead is supervising. Lew Seiler to “Tugboat Annie Sails Again,” starring Marjorie Rambeau and Alan Hale. Picture rolls June 10. Options — Columbia Alexander Hall given new one-year directorial contract. Howard, Fine and Howard (the Three Stooges) held for another two years to appear in eight short subjects. — Metro Marvin Borowsky joins scripting staff as a junior writer. Virginia Grey, featured player, given contract renewal. Analee Whitmore, junior writer, given new term pact. — Paramount Arthur Hornblow jr. given new threeyear contract as a producer. His next release is “The Ghost Breakers,” co-starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. W. L. Rivers handed new writing ticket. He is scripting “The City That Never Sleeps.” — RKO Radio Kay Francis signs two-picture acting deal, with “Debutantes, Inc.,” as her first assignment. Louis Hayward loaned by Edward Small to appear in two films. — 20th Century-Fox Ann Todd, eight-year-old actress, given long-term contract. Present plans are to star her in a number of vehicles originally lined up for Shirley Temple, including “Lady Jane.” — Universal Jack Otterson, art director, held for another year. — Warner Mildred Coles, Little Theatre actress, given term contract and role in “No Time for Comedy.” William Keighley given new directorial contract. His current assignment is “No Time for Comedy.” Percenteers Associated Artists and the Lester Salkow agency merge under the name of the former, with Irving Salkow heading the new organization. Bunty Lawrence, of the Lester Salkow office, remains as an associate. Gene Mann checks out for two weeks in New York on business. John McCormick heads for New York for a month’s visit to attend business matters in the east. Scripters — Branford Productions Allen Rivken to the first of the “Scattergood Baines” pictures for RKO Radio release. — Metro Irving Brecher and Nat Perrin polishing “Go West,” forthcoming Marx Brothers comedy. Ethel Frank to “The Canterville Ghost,” which Milton Bren will produce. — Monogram Berne Giler to “Land of the Sky Blue Water.” Kay Van Riper to “Kathleen,” from her own original. Chandler Sprague and Bradbury Foote teamed on “Osborne of Sing Sing,” costarring Clark Gable and Robert Taylor. Donald Ogden Stewart nears completion of “The Philadelphia Story,” from Philip Barry’s play, which will serve as a starring vehicle for Katharine Hepburn. Director George Cukor will launch filming June 15 with Joseph L. Mankiewicz as the producer. — Sigmund Neufeld George Bricker to “Wolf Cry,” from a story by Jack London. — Paramount Bill Morrow and Ed Beloin teamed on “Love Thy Neighbor,” which will co-star Jack Benny and Fred Allen. — Republic Karl Brown to “Foreign Correspondent,” a tentative title. F. Hugh Herbert to “The Man of the Year,” a Robert North production. Harrison Jacobs to “The Ranger and the Lady.” — RKO Radio Frank Partos completes “Stranger on the Third Floor,” from his own original. Boris Ingster will direct. Gertrude Purcell to “False Witness,” to be produced and directed by Bernard Vorhaus. Bartlett Cormack to “Valley of the Sun,” from Clarence Budington Kelland's novel. Peter Godfrey and Alfred Batson to “The Deerslayer,” a Gene Towne-Graham Baker production. — Charles R. Rogers Zoe Akins to “Jane Addams and Hull House.” Columbia will release. — 20th Century-Fox Michael Blankfort completes “Highway 66” for Producer Fred Kohlmar. Ed Verdier completes “The Bride Wore Crutches,” from his own original. Shepard Traube directs. Marvin Wald to “School for Soldiers,” from his own original. Lou Edelman will produce. — Universal Arthur T. Horman to “Argentine Nights,” to star the Ritz Brothers. — Vogue Productions Al Capp to “Li’l Abner,” based upon his comic strip, which will be Lou Ostrow’s first production for RKO Radio release. — Warner Earl Baldwin to “The Weak Link,” a play by Allan Wood. Eddie Albert will star. Robert Buckner resumes work on “Santa Fe Trail,” slated as Errol Flynn’s next starring vehicle. Michael Curtiz will direct. Lester Cole and Fred Niblo jr. to “Bad Boy,” from a story by John Fante. Owen Crump to “The Dog in the Orchard,” a story by Mary Roberts Rinehart, to be filmed as a short subject under Gordon Hollingshead ’s supervision. Leonard Hoffman to “Second Wind,” based on a prizefight yarn by Talbert Josslyn. Robert Kent to “Thieves Fall Out,” from his own original. Michael Simmons completes “The First Trigger Man,” a biography of Samuel Colt, arms manufacturer. Charles Tedford to “Fremont, the Pathfinder,” a historical short subject. Salka Viertel completes “The Full Life,” story of Katherine Gero, famous foster mother of Hungarian orphans. John Wexley completes “Danger Signal,” from Phyllis Bottome’s novel, to be used as a Bette Davis starrer. 28 BOXOFFICE :: June 1, 1940