The Exhibitor (Jun-Nov 1944)

THE EXHIBITOR 39 PRODUCTION Hollywood— The title role in MGM’s "Gentle Annie” will be played by Mar¬ jorie Main. In support are James Craig and Henry Morgan. . . . Film tribute will be paid to Lieutenant General Lesley J. McNair, recently killed in France, in Lester Cowan’s UA release, “G. I. Joe,” by Ernie Pyle. General McNair was solely responsible for the idea of the film, and brought about the meeting of Cowan and Plye. . . . Tested for the title role in Para¬ mount’s “Miss Susie Slagle” was Lillian Gish, currently on Broadway. . . . Phyllis Brooks will co-star with Robert Lowery in “Dangerous Passage,” the next PineThomas production for Paramount release. . . . Michael O’Shea has been borrowed from 20th-Fox to play opposite Sonja Henie in “It’s a Pleasure,” the Interna¬ tional Pictures feature in Technicolor for RKO release. . . . Edward Eberle has been placed in charge of studio operations of International Pictures. His work will em¬ brace all phases of production. Company releases through RKO. . . . Alan Crosland, whose director-father handled the first all-talking film for Warners, is now a film editor at the same studio, where he re¬ cently completed work on “The Very Thought of You.” Ann Sheridan has been selected to play the title role in Warners’ “Calamity Jane,” romantic western story which Jerry Wald will produce. . . . Jack L. Warner has ex¬ tended Robert Hutton’s contract. . . . "Baby Face Floyd, an original story, has been acquired by Monogram for the 194445 program. . . . “High Man,” an original story, has been purchased by Pine-Thomas, Paramount producers as a starrer for William Gargan. . . . Damon Runyon has been assigned by Columbia to write a screenplay around the original story, “I’ll Be Seeing You,” the first flicker which A1 Jolson will produce under his contract with the company. . . . Denis Green, radio writer for the Sherlock Holmes series, has been signed by Hunt Stromberg to a three-way acting, writing, and directing contract. Green starts work on the script of “This Is Life,” film based on the fam¬ ous New York restauranteur, Arnold Reu¬ ben, to be released through UA. . . . Dave Willock, young comedian, and Janet Scott have been added to the cast of Selznick’s UA film, “The House of Dr. Edwardes,” which stars Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck. Monogram will team Jimmy Wakely and Lasses White in a series of westerns. The boys made a hit when they appeared in Texas for the Fifth War Loan. While on tour the boys were impressed by the Boy’s Ranch of the Variety Club of Dal¬ las, Tex., and Wakely donated 10 per cent of his salary on the seven-year Monogram contract to the Variety Foun¬ dation of Texas. . . . PRC advanced the release date of its feature, “When the Lights Go On Again,” to Sept. 15, in the hopes this date will coincide with the an¬ nouncement of peace in Europe. . . . Ar¬ thur Treacher, screen butler, has been added to the UA starrer for Jane Powell’s “High Among the Stars.” ... A sequel to “Janie,” “Janie Meets the Marines,” starring Joyce Reynolds, has been set by Warners. Randolph Scott, Ruth Warrick, Ellen Drew, and Carol Thurston will have the leading roles in “China Sky,” RKO’s screen version of the Pearl Buck novel. . . . Adele Jergens, New York top model, has been given her first acting assignment by Col¬ umbia in “Tonight and Every Night,” Irene Dunne, Charles Boyer, and Charles National Legion Of Decency List— Aug. 17, 1944 UNOBJECTIONABLE FOR GEN — ERAL PATRONAGE — “Dangerous Journey,” (20th Century-Fox); “One Mysterious Night,” (Columbia); “Heav¬ enly Days,” (RKO). UNOBJECTIONABLE FOR ADULTS — “Abroad With Two Yanks,” (UA); “Atlantic City,” (Republic); “Maisie Goes To Reno,” (Metro); “Moonlight and Cactus,” (Universal). OBJECTIONABLE IN PART— “Bar¬ bary Coast Gent,” (Metro); “Sign Of the Cross,” (Paramount). ADVANCE SHOTS Features CRY OF THE WEREWOLF. Columbia. 63m. Nina Foch, Stephen Crane, Osa Massen, Blanche Yurka, Barton McLane. Here is a good, suspenseful mystery for the duallers. SILVER CITY KID. Republic. 55m. Allan Lane, Peggy Stewart, Wally Vernon, Twinkle Watts, Harry Woods. Well-made western has plenty of action and a good plot. DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 20th Cen¬ tury-Fox. 73m. Produced and filmed by Armand Denis and Leila Roosevelt, with commentary by Conrad Nagel. This is a skillfully and interestingly made travel¬ ogue of Africa, India, and Burma. IN SOCIETY. U. 73m. Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Marian Hutton, Kirby Grant, Anne Gillis, Arthur Treacher, Thomas Gomez, Margaret Irving, Thurston Hall. This continues Abbott and Costello as top laugh-makers. STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT. Repub¬ lic. 56m. William Terry, Virginia Grey Helen Thimig, Edith Barrett, Anne O’Neal. Melodrama has suspense and good char¬ acterizations. Shorts THE PLASTIC INVENTOR. RKO— Dis¬ ney. 7m. Excellent. Coburn starrer. . . . Preparatory shooting has started on John Garfield’s next for War¬ ners, “Nobody Lives Forever,” with Jean Negulesco directing. . . . Start of “Pillar to Post” at Warners has been postponed to allow Ida Lupino to recover from an oper¬ ation to re-set a broken bone in her right hand. . . . Erie Galbraith, 19, has been signed by Columbia. She is a discovery of A1 Jolson. . . . Virginia Van Upp has been given a new contract by Harry Cohn, Col¬ umbia, covering her services as a writer and producer. . . . Bryant Washburn, screen veteran, expects to make his come¬ back in RKO’s “Nevada.” . . . George Brent has signed a new deal with RKO calling for two additional pictures following “Ex¬ periment Perilous.” . . . Herbert Marshall has been signed by RKO to co-star with Dorothy McGuire and Alan Marshal in “The Enchanted Cottage,” which Harriet Parsons will produce. . . . Tom Conway and Ann Rutherford have the leads in RKO’s “Two O’clock Courage,” which Ben Stoloff will produce. TELEVISION The first cooperative production organ¬ ization to enter the field of TelevisionTelevideo is preparing its first program for the future, it was announced last week in New York. Members of the group in¬ clude Fred Jacobs, Loucks and Norling Films; George Garger, PIX, Inc.; Marvin Christenfeld, attorney; Ellen Dahlgren, costume designer; Walter Gibson and Martha Whatmore, writers; Betty Godfrey, J. D. Tarcher Advertising; Leo Kerz, scene designer; Jay H. Smilin, John H. Owne, Inc.; Kenneth Whatmore, J. D. Tarcher Advertising, and Morton Gottlieb, writer. In an annual report to stockholders, Zenith Radio Corporation stated last week that the company is not of the opinion that early television broadcasting looks promising on a basis that it will warrant large public investment in television re¬ ception sets. The company declared too many economic and technical problems remained to be solved. Frequency modu¬ lation will be the most popular type of post-war broadcasting, the stockholders were told. The company operates FM sta¬ tion WZRC and television station W9XZV in Chicago. Approximately $25,000,000 has been in¬ vested in television research and develop¬ ment by the radio industry to get tele¬ vision to the public, James H. Carmine, vice-president in charge of merchandising for Philco, told the Radio Executives Club television seminar in New York recently. He predicted that as soon as television re¬ ceivers can be made and sold, the public will eagerly buy in tremendous quantities, since probably never before has the pro¬ duct of a great new industry been so completely planned and so highly de¬ veloped before it was offered to the public. A recent consumer survey revealed that 86 per cent of the people would like to have a television receiver in their homes, Carmine pointed out. Wildwood, N. J., House Burns Wildwood, N. J. — Hunt Corporation lost its fourth theatre in less than a year in the $250,000 fire that destroyed the Strand and seven other structures between Pine and Maple Avenues on the boardwalk last week. The others (Hunt Casino Pier) were destroyed by a $1,000,000 fire last December. William C. Hunt, president, said the company’s loss amounted to $150,000 to $200,000, only partly covered by insurance. The 1,000-seat Strand was built 25 years ago, and remodeled in the last decade. Three weeks ago. Hunt announced plans to rebuild and modernize the house. CHAIR FAST Securely fastens LOOSE CHAIRS TO FLOOR $2.50 Package JOE H0RNSTEIN, INC. 630 NINTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY Or Your Supply Dealer 39