The Exhibitor (Nov 1939-May 1940)

18 THE EXHIBITOR Biief Glances At PRODUCTION HAPPENINGS West Coast News Items Hollywood — So that its readers may keep abreast of the times, be in the know on the major developments and interesting sidelights, The Exhibitor offers the following items from the various lots: Columbia F. Scott Fitzgerald will do the screen play on his Saturday Evening Post story, “Babylon Revisited,” which Lester Cowan will produce. Fredric March will probably have the starring spot. . . . Porter Hall gets one of the principal roles in “Arizona.” . . . “Babies For Sale,” story dealing with illicit practises by fake nursing homes, went before the cameras with Rochelle Hudson and Glenn Ford in romantic leads. M etro-Goldivyn-Mayer “Little Nelly Kelly,” George M. Cohan’s famous musical show, will reach the screen under this company’s banner with Judy Garland playing the title role. . . . James A. FitzPatrick’s latest Technicolor Traveltalk, “Sitka and Juneau,” has been scheduled for national release April 30. . . . Mary McCall is scripting the screen play for “Bombay Nights,” from the best seller book by Louis Bromfield, scheduled as a starring picture for Joan Crawford. . . . Robert Taylor and Ilona Massey will be co-starred in “Incident in Java,” from the play, “Port of Hope,” by Gina Kaus, Ladislaus Fodor and Dean Hartley. . . . John Lee Mahin will do the screen play for “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” which will star Robert Donat. . . . William Tracy has been signed for the role of Phillip Turner, with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in “Strike Up the Band,” new musical to be directed by Busby Berkeley. Paramount Harry Sherman’s first Hopalong Cassidy picture for the new season gets a title change from “Ranger Guns West” to “Three Men from Texas.” . . . Deciding to stress comedy in this season’s westerns, Sherman has signed Andy Clyde for a featured role in this first Hoppy of the new season. . . . Basil Rathbone picture formerly titled “Destiny,” will carry the release title of “A Date With Destiny.” This is a George Arthur production directed by Tim Whelan. In addition to Rathbone, cast is headed by John Howard and Ellen Drew. RKO-Radio Paul Gallio’s original story, “Star. Light,” Star Bright,” has been purchased here and will be produced by Robert Sisk as a major feature on the company’s 1940-41 program. Garson Kanin has been assigned to direct. Story concerns the love problem of a girl with three swains — an ambitious salesman, a philosophic gas station attendant and a millionaire playboy. . . . Producer-director David Butler’s first picture of the current year for this studio will be “Photo Finish,” a love story with a race track background. 20th Century-Fox Darryl F. Zanuck spikes all rumors to the contrary, issuing a statement that the Jones Family series will be continued. Four pictures are scheduled for the 194041 programs. . . . Laura Hope Crews, Jessie Ralph, Vaughn Glaser, Alma Kruger and Harry Shannon have been signed for principal roles in “The Brat,” Jane Withers starrer which goes into production next week. . . . “Street of Memories,” an original by Robert Lees and Fred Rinaldo, will be one of the first productions on Lucien Hubbard’s program. Universal Edward Sutherland gets the directorial assignement on “The Boys From Syracuse,” a Jules Levey production. Allan Jones, Joe Penner and Martha Raye have been signed for some leading roles. . . . Wallace Ford, Donald Woods, Kathryn Adams, Mona Barrie and Marc Lawrence head the cast of “No Exit,” now shooting under direction of Charles Lamont. . . . Warren Stokes’ HOLLYWOOD NEWSREEL • THAT WAITING LINE in front of a theatre is a rare sight these days, not only in Hollywood and vicinity but right in your own community. But listen, Mr. Exhibitor! I have seen it with my own eyes, right here in movieland where they have night baseball, basketball, outdoor bowling alleys, football games and what have you; to say nothing of skating rinks with a real ice surface and a tropical atmosphere. Believe me when I tell you there is more competition right where the movies are made than in any other part of the country. And what do you think promoted a waiting line in front of a theatre before seven o’clock in the evening? Don’t fool yourself; this is not a plug for “Gone With the Wind.” The occasion was two ordinary program pictures plus the appearance of Dr. I. Q. — please bear with me, I am not trying to sell you Dr. I. Q. The Quiz Idea • THE RADIO QUIZ MANIA is now being demonstrated with startling results. In addition to securing a capacity audience at local theatres, in which the worthy doctor can plug his sponsor’s product, the theatre benefits through the sale of tickets to the current attraction, plus the plug secured for the next attraction, through the dispensation of tickets as consolation prizes to those contestants failing to finish in the money. Neighborhood and small town exhibitors have told me they are at a loss to combat or take advantage of this new inovation, through lack of facilities conducive to the best interests of the sponsors through a nationwide broadcasting system. That is a fallacy. Wherever Nan Grey gets the feminine lead in “One of the Boston Bullertons,” with Roland Young and Hugh Herbert. W anger Albert Basserman, who scored as Dr. Robert Koch in Warners’ “Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet,” has been signed by Walter Wanger for a featured dramatic role in Alfred Hitchcock’s current untitled production. Else Basserman, wife of the European stage star, has also been signed for a role in this picture. Warners This studio schedules “Santa Fe,” a story of the historic Santa Fe Trail, as the 1941 successor to “Virginia City.” Errol Flynn will star and Michael Curtiz will direct. . . . Featured roles in “The Life of Knute Rockne,” which stars Pat O'Brien, go to Kane Richmond, Owen Davis, Jr., William Marshall, and Gaylord Pendleton. . . . New story purchase here is Talbert Josselyn’s “Second Wind,” prizefighter yarn which will star John Garfield. . . . Jack LaRue gets a principal role in "The Sea Hawk,” which co-stars Errol Flynn and Brenda Marshall. your theatre is located, all you need to cash in on this new avenue of public interest is a microphone attached to a public address system within the walls of your own theatre. Okay for Everyone • THE QUIZ IDEA offers many advantages to the wide-awake showman. Be it small city or town, every exhibitor can cash in on this new fad which escapes the lottery clause and other ordinances which might halt its operation, because it is decidedly not a game of chance, but a medium of enjoyment and education. This appeals to the majority because of the natural tendency to learn or express the knowledge of the subject under discussion, plus the opportunity of adding a few dollars to the family poke. Through proper usage it can be harnessed to create a greater interest in your theatre, in motion pictures, and the people who make them, bolstering the receipts on those off nights and generally promote the general welfare of the motion picture industry. Use the Papers • YOUR LOCAL PAPER, to which you are giving your advertising support, undoubtedly employs a movie editor or columnist who discusses things Hollywood. You can engage him for the purpose of quizzing your patrons, which he should do for the prestige of himself and the paper he represents. If you will make it a “Movie Quiz” and confine your questions to pictures and personalities you will be educating your patrons to your best advantage. Instead of a cash night involving the outlay of a larger sum, and distracting from your main stock in trade, you can offer ten, five, two or one dollar for the correct answers, incorporating the old country store idea and giving as consolation prizes, a sack of flour, a suit cleaning order, etc., from one of the local merchants who will contribute the merchandise for the advertising. ( Continued on page 20) April 10, 1940