Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1939)

Production Curve Veers Downward Though ambitious schedules at almost every plant indicate a healthy upswing during the balance of the month, Hollywood’s production index presently continues to dwindle from the peak activity recorded at the year's end. A total of 36 films are before the cameras, two under last week, with only eight on the sidelines for immediate starts. Four studios — Columbia, Monogram, 20th Century-Fox and United Artists — listed no new starts. Columbia continues filming on five features. Monogram has two in work and four more ready to go. Twentieth Century-Fox, at low ebb with but two on its sound stages, has eight others, including thi'ee top-bracketers, chalked in for January filming. The UA scene will remain unchanged until Edward Small guns “The Man in the Iron Mask” in February. Paramount, with eight shooting, tops the list, closely pressed by M-G-M with seven and Warner with six. The Marathon Street lot aimed its cameras on one new one, Wesley Ruggles’ “Invitation to Happiness,” while Metro rolled its new “Tarzan” adventure and Warner went to work on “The Roaring Road,” automobile racing picture. Universal scheduled “East Side of Heaven,” with Bing Crosby, and “Key Woman” for starts, boosting its production total to five; RKO Radio snapped out of the doldrums by gunning “A Kmight in Ghost Town” and “Tliey Made Me a Spy” to hit a four-picture total, twice last week’s; Republic performed a similar feat by launching a “Higgins Family” comedy and Roy Rogers’ “Ride, Ranger, Ride.” Film Making Inviting To Publishers Reappearance of the question mark which, annually, surrounds the future of the production-distribution alliance between William Randolph Hearst’s Cosmopolitan Pictures and Warner, is calling forth considerable discussion as to what part other publishers may play in the production picture during 1939. While conferences in the near future between Warner and Cosmopolitan executives will, according to the studio, be scheduled to thresh out terms of a new deal, announcements from two other quarters during past weeks have already swelled the roster of production-publishing liaisons, although along somewhat different lines. One is the expanded plans disclosed for the March of Time, an offshoot of Time, Inc., publisher of the weekly news magazine, and which production unit releases through RKO Radio. During a brief stopover recently, Louis de Rochemont, Time’s chieftain, announced the March of Time would enter the feature-length field in 1939, the initial picture to roll within a few weeks. De Rochemont asserted the enterprise would be pitched somewhere between the regular March of Time short and a standard Hollywood feature, using a story framework but adhering to the March of Time’s formula. Jack Haeseler has been appointed local editorial supervisor. Having toyed with entering production several times, the Bernarr MacFadden Publishing Co. has finally broken the ice with the organization of a unit to make a four-reel semi-commercial featurette for use at the Macfadden exhibit at the New York World’s Fair. One of Macfadden’s previous attempts to enter fihn making was recorded less than a year ago, when negotiations were reported to be under way whereby Macfadden would finance David Diamond, local agent and producer, in a scheme whereby Diamond would produce from story properties made available through Liberty Magazine. Apparently, however, the plan went into the discard. Lynn Shores is directing the Macfadden reel under the title “I’ll Tell the World.” Hearst’s interest in motion pictures is perhaps the oldest and most extensive of any publisher. For years his Cosmopolitan Productions released through M-G-M, which company still distributes the Hearst newsreel, “News of the Day.” The newspaper and magazine mogul first tied in with film-making before the World War, and he has kept a more or less constant finger on the production pulse ever since. Paramount Continues Personnel Paring Adding further to the program of personnel shifts and talent reorganization on which it embarked some weeks ago. Paramount has pared away several Thespic, writing and production names from its roster. Among them are Bogart Rogers, production executive and writer, leaving after four years on the lot in various supervisory capacities; the Yacht Club Boys, Moppet Billy Cook and seven other stock players, and four writers, winding up scripting assignments. Changes at other plants found Fanchon Royer, head costume designer at 20th Century-Fox, disclosing he will leave the plant March 1, when his present contract — which has kept him at the studio for more than six years — has expired. William Koenig, studio manager, has set Ralph Dietrich as assistant to Jason Joy, personnel manager. Dietrich was formerly a production assistant to Gene Markey. Cobian Productions, producing Spanishlanguage features for Paramount release, has signed Jack Boland as assistant to Ramos Cobian, executive producer. Boland was formerly associated with Cecil B. DeMille. Two other talent changes found Marian Martin, actress, leaving Universal to freelance and Margaret Tallichet canceling the remainder of her acting contract with Selznick International. Doug Jr, Is "Lancelot" Douglas Fairbanks jr., has been signed for the role of “Lancelot” in Paramount’s forthcoming “Knights of the Round Table.” Albert Lewin, who will produce, is en route to England to do historical research. Activity Pervades Grand National Activity, the like of which has not pervaded the Grand National lot since before the recent GN-Fine Arts split and subsequent reconciliation, is currently characterizing the plant, with camera work scheduled on no less than three films and the further announcement that GN’s production quota is to be swelled by the addition of six westerns starring the exheavyweight boxing champion. Max Baer. Baer will essay a singing cowboy role in the series, first of which is set to get off the mark before the end of the month under Jack Skirball’s production guidance. After several delays, GN has launched production on “Rhythm Rides the Range,” initialer in another six-picture musical western series, starring Tex Fletcher. The picture will bear the banner of Arcadia Productions, newly-formed GN unit, with Sam Newfield as producer-director. Also due for immediate gunning under A1 Christie’s supervision is “Everything Happens to Ann,” a feature-length farce. FA breaks a long lull with “Curio Cipher,” second in its “Cipher Bureau” series, with Charles Lament producing and directing and Leon Ames in the lead. Also in progress are re-takes on Eugene Frenke’s Anna Sten starrer, “Exile Express.” With the production scene thus enlivened, Edward Aiperson, GN sales chief, has embarked on a tour of northwest exchanges before returning to his New York office, while Morris Safier western division manager, has transferred to San Francisco, where his permanent headquarters will be established. Sam Berkowitz, sales chief for FA, accompanied Aiperson. Jerry HoUman Produces Next Jones Vehicle With 20th Century-Fox’s “World of Sports” series going into discard with the pending release of the third picture in the group, Jerry Hoffman, who had been handling production, has been set by Sol Wurtzel to produce the next Jones Family vehicle. Wurtzel himself will supervise “Charlie Chan in Reno” and “Shooting High,” a musical, while John Stone draws the reins on Jane Withers’ next. Wurtzel to Direct "Shooting High" Sol Wurtzel has set Otto Brower to direct “Shooting High,” musical comedy which Lou Breslow is scripting for a January 30 start at 20th Century-Fox. Tony Martin and Joan Davis have the leads. Process Commercial Cinecolor has completed processing on 800 prints of a commercial film produced by Ross Roy, of Detroit, for the Groodyear Rubber Co. 38 BOXOFnCE :: January 14, 1939