Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1939)

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(2i inQma xk6, Percenteers Dave Bader has joined the Artists’ Agency, Inc., to work out of the story department. Hal Cooley checks in from three-week trip to New York, looking over plays and talent and conferring with eastern associates. Scripters — ^Metro Harry Clork signed to develop story for Producer Frederick Stephani. Jacques Deval to screenplay of “Sti-ange Honeymoon,” a Milton Bren production. Kurt Goetz to work on “The Road to Rome,” under Producer Joseph Mankie WICZ. James Edward Grant assigned by Producer Edgar Selwyn to script of “Night Operator.” Al Mannheimer working on “The Golden Fleecing,” which Edgar Selwyn produces. Alice D. G. Miller assigned to screenplay of “Smilin’ Thru.” Remake will star Jeanette MacDonald and be produced by Robert Z. Leonard. Marion Parsonnet teamed with Lynn Root and Frank Fenton on “Golden Fleecing,” forthcoming James Stewart starrer which Edgar Selwyn will produce. — Paramount Howard J. Green, recently returned to the studio writing department, assigned to “The Monster.” George Arthur produces. Franz Shulz set to write the screenplay for “The Purple Cloud.” Dale Van Every will produce. Martha Merrill completes “Every Day Is Sunday,” a Jack Moss production. Eddie Moran completes “A Night at Earl Carroll’s.” Kurt Neumann will direct. Leonard Lee to screenplay of “The Purple Cloud,” a forthcoming Dale Van Every production. — Republic Micheal Blankfort signed to write screenplay of “Forgotten Women.” Betty Burbridge set to write an original under the title “The Oomph Girl and the Cowboy,” to be produced by William Berke. Brown Holmes is writing screenplay for “Doctors Don’t Tell,” to be produced and directed by John H. Auer. Bernard McConville to do original screenplay on the Texas Rangers and to be titled “Colonel Colt.” Peter Milne to “Rancho Grande,” Gene Autry’s next which George Sherman will direct. Jack Natteford to “Pioneers of the West,” which Harry Grey will produce as a vehicle for the Three Mesquiteers. Charles Francis Royal to “Oklahoma Outlaws,” a Three Mesquiteers western. — Hal Roach Harry Langdon to untited story for Laurel and Hardy. —20th Century-Fox Ethel Hill assigned to screenplay of “Small Town God,” the Edwin Blum original which Kenneth Macgowan will produce. —-Warner Bros. Abem Finkel turned in the finish screen Arthur Freed, Metro producer, is back after gandering the new plays on Broadway. ★ Metro Talent Scout William Grady is back from a trip in the east . . . John Brahm returns from Gotham pleasure trip. ★ Leon Schlesinger tossed his annual Christmas holiday luncheon for 200 employes of his cartoon plant at the Wilshire Bowl on Saturday. A ten-piece orchestra provided dance music between helpings of turkey. ★ Jimmy Stewart giving the natives in his home town, Indiana, Pa., a treat over the holidays . . . Annual dinner-dance of the Warner Club set for February 17 at the Biltmore. Mike McCreal, general arrangements; Blayney Matthews, tickets; Robert S. Taplinger, programs; Harvey Briggs, advertising , and Steve Trilling, entertainment, are the committee chairmen. * Sol Lesser named a member of the board of directors of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce . . . Richard Thorpe, Horace Hough and Mai Brown looking over loca play for “Stuff of Heroes,” which goes before the cameras this winter. James Hilton completes screenplay of “House on the Hill,” and departs on an extended leave of absence to write his next novel. Norman Reilly Raine has completed his assignment on the screenplay of Warner’s “Footsteps in the Dark.” Casey Robinson busy on screenplay of “The Woman Brown,” Bette Davis starrer, under production guidance of David Lewis. Charles Tedford is writing screenplay of “The Wilderness Scout,” Warner historical featurette. Picture will be filmed in Technicolor. Charles Tedford has completed screenplay for “The Discovery of America,” historical feature to be filmed in Technicolor. Michael Fessier joins Fred Niblo jr. on the screenplay of “The Patent Leather Kid.” Story Buys — Metro “The Life of Chopin” acquired from Columbia for production in London with Robert Donat slated for the title role. —20th Century-Fox Screen rights to “The Hunted Woman,” by James Oliver Curwood, which will be produced by the Sol Wurtzel unit. Vallee's First Signed to a producer’s contract at Republic, Rudy Vallee will have charge of “The Hit Parade of 1940” as the first on a two -picture deal. tions in Death Valley for Thorpe’s next directorial chore. ★ Paulette Goddard flies in from Gotham vacation . . . Joe Youngerman, assistant to Producer-Director William A. Wellman, back from a short vacation . . . Robert Osborne of the Paramount operations department recovering from an operation at Alhambra Hospital. •k Bill Pine, man Friday to Cecil B. De Mille, off for Canada to get final okay on screenplay of DeMille’s forthcoming picture from official of the Northwest Mounted Police . . . George L. Bagnall, Paramount studio manager, also off to the dominion for a holiday visit to relatives . . . William (Hopalong Cassidy) Boyd and frau (Grace Bradley) mapping a New York visit. k Producer Arthur Hornblow and Myrna Loy holidaying in Mexico City . . . C. W . Smith, Hollywood vice-president of Erpi, to Gotham for business huddles . . . Reeves Espy bedded with a eold. k Paramoimt Exploiteer Leon Benson to Salt Lake City, Portland, and Seattle on space grabbing jaunt. War Smacks Bonuses; One Studio Pops Those small-salaried workers who, by dint of the paring knife, had been informed there is a war going on abroad, had it brought still more forcefully and convincingly to their attention when a careful scrutiny of the pay envelopes in the major film studios revealed that in all but one plant those in charge of preparing the checks had not seen fit to hand out the customary Christmas bonuses. Only at the Walter Wanger plant were employes given the traditional Yuletide handouts. At this unit, workers earning less than $100 weekly found an extra week’s pay in their envelopes. In past seasons nearly every major studio and a majority of the independents have done their part toward making the Christmas season a merry one by padding workers’ regular paychecks with a Yuletide bonus of varying amounts. Usually the award was limited to workers in the lowersalaried brackets, somewhere between $50 and $100 weekly. New Warner Historical “The American Cavalcade” will be produced by Warner as a historical short. The picture will embrace scenes from various preceding historical films. Gordon Hollingshead will supervise. BOXOFFICE ; : December 23, 1939 37