Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

24 BOY'S CINEMA BIGGEST FIRE ON RECORD FOR FILM The largest fire ever set for a motion- picture scene was touched off recently on the bank of the upper Payette River. Idaho, when a ten-acre Indian village for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 'Northwest Pas- sage " was biirned to the ground. After burning separate sections of the set and its 125-complete buildings during the previous twelve days. Director King Vidor had the r,et rebuilt, soaked with 1.200 gallons of kerosene and 800 gallons of high grade petrol, then ignited for the final conflagration in which Rogers' Rangers, headed by Spencer Tracy. Robert Young and Walter Brennan. are seen leav- ing the Indian village of St. Francis by canoe after having wiped out all its inhabitants. From three dugout controls, operated by explosives expert. Art Brown, the fire was lit by electric sparks igniting petrol jets. More than 40,000 feet of copper tubing was laid underground to carry the petrol. The entvre McGall division of the C.C.C. stood by with fire-fighting equipment to prevent the blaze from spreading to the surrounding timber, since a .section more than half a mile square was ablaze and the. heat could be felt at the top of the bluffs across the 300-foot wide river. An Idaho Forest Service plane, patrolling the area, was forced to withdi-aw after hitting a heat pocket. ■ - Within an hour and a half, the fire was set. the scene shot, the fire extinguished and the company moved to a second set- up without the slightest accident. LUCKY WRONG NUMBER " GAVE BOB BURNS HIS CHANCE Some men owe their success to their mothers, others to their wives or sweet- hearts.' but Bob Burns claims everything he is to-day he owes to a "wrong number." Bob recalled the incident during the filming of "I'm from Missouri," when Jerry Cady, screen writer, appeared on the set. For it was a telephone call Burns cnce tried to make to Cady that resulted in his climb to fame as a radio and screen entertainer. Several years ago. after an^ unsuccessful attempt at films in Hollywood. Burns went to New York, hoping for an.audition on the Rudy Vallee air programme. Lack of success made him timid, however, and he did not have the courage to call the pro- grarmne agent, although he had the man's telephone, number. An old friend of his unhappy days in Hollywood was Cady. now also in New York, getting his start as a radio writer. Bob had Cady's telephone number beside that of the agent in a notebook. That is how he happened to call the agent by mistake. Thinking he had Cady on the phone, Bob was confident and breezy, and it was not until he had impressed the agent with his manner of speech that Bob'discovered his mistake. As a result of that conversa- tion. Bob got his place on the radio pro- gramme and quickly climbed to his present position! A few days later, however, Cady went to Hollywood without getting an oppor- tunitv to see Bob. He became successful Every Tuesday a£ a screen wa-iter. When Bob met Jerry on the set, Burns commented: -"A lot of folks have said they 'dis- covered me,' and in a way I suppose most of them are right. But I do know that if I hadn't tried to call my friend Jerry that day I'd not be occuping a dressing- room between Bing Crosbv and Claudette Colbert right now!" 1 FILMING A BLIZZARD IN COLOUR I For the first time in film history Para- mount has been filming a raging blizzard in Technicolour for "Untamed," an excit- ing drama of the north woods. Since Producer Paul Jones announced that the entire picture would be in colour, including tlie blizzard scenes, electrical and photographic engineers have been studying deeply the problems involved. It was necessary for them to produce enough light to bring out the colours of the mackinaws and parkas worn by the three stars—Ray Milland, Patricia Mori- son and Akim Tamiroff—and at the same time retain the illusion of the niurkiness of such a storm. Revolving round a closely knit plot con- cerning the regeneration of a yoimg doctor, the drama is filled with action from the first scene in the operating room of a New York hospital to the fade-out on the shores of a small lake. Milland has the role of a surgeon, with Tamiroff portraying a hunting guide, and Patricia Morison as the latter's wife, who shows the way to happiness for the nerve- shattered young doctor. mm MAMNG INTO THE HEART OF WE OLD WEST- A vivid saga o! the American railroad pioneers 'who battled their way against heavy odds to forge a link between the East and West. Joel McCrea and Barbara Stanwyck are the stars of the film BOY'S REFORMATORY Tommy Ryan took his brother's place at a retormatory in the hope that the brother would go straight. But be was mixed up with a earn; that made him stay crooked. A thrilling story of the underworld of youth, with Frankie Darro as Tommy Ryan S.O.S. COASTGUARD Next week's episode o! this grand serial is packed with stirrin? adventure and thrills—don't miss it! Ralph Byrd is the star ORDER VOUR COPy NOW.' SftC\M. ORDER FOR/M APPEARS ON PAGE 21 [b.C.36. '/ I'liuluil in KnKlaiul nnd iniblished every Tuesday Iiy the I'lopriotor:*, TllF. Amauj.vmatki) Trkss, Ltd., The I'leetway House, KarriUKdou (Street, Loudon, E.('.4. Adxeiti.senu nt Olliees : The I'leetway House, Farriugdou Street, London, ]■;.('.4. Subscription Itnte.s : inland and Abroad : 11/- i)er annum ; 0/G lor six months. Sole Agents lor Australia and Jiie^i- Ze.iland : Messrs. Oordou & Gotch, Ltd. ; ami for South Africa : Central Ncwb Agency, Ltd. 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