The Exhibitor (Nov 1939-May 1940)

12 Biief Glances At PRODUCTION HAPPENINGS Columbia Charles R. Rogers announces plans for a spectacular outdoor musical, “In Old Monterey,” to be made, probably, in color, following his current Columbia production, “Jane Addams and Hull House.” . . . Director Sidney Salkow is underway with “The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady,” starring Warren William and Jean Muir. Supporting cast includes Thurston Hall, Victor Jory, Eric Blore, Warren Hull and Fred Kelsey. THE EXHIBITOR Metro-Goldtvyn-Mayer Chill Wills, cowboy comic, will sing one of his own compositions, “Sunset Trail Down Oklahoma Way,” as a featured number for “Boom Town,” all-star picture with Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert and Hedy Lamarr. Jack Conway is directing. . . . Charles Coburn and Billie Burke have been cast for leading roles in “Old Lady 31,” film version of Rachel Crothers stage hit, to be directed by Robert Sinclair. . . . New co-starring duo formed here is Norma Shearer and Robert Taylor, set for top spots in “Escape.” . . . John Steinbeck’s novel “Tortilla Flat,” has been purchased for film production. Paramount Rose Hobart, New York stage actress, will have the feminine lead opposite Ken Murray in “A Night at Earl Carroll’s.” . . . Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, and Bob Hope will be co-starred in “Blue Lagoon,” a companion piece to “Singapore.” . . . 300-pound Don Wilson, radio announcer, has been signed by Harry Sherman to play the role of “Slim” in “The Round Up,” which he will produce as a special action picture for Paramount. . . . Clifford Goldsmith, author of “What a Life,” has been signed to write an original story for the third in the Henry Aidrich series. Producers Releasing Corp. Sigmund Neufeld announces that the title of his first feature production for this company has been changed from “Sons of the Finest,” to “I Take This Oath.” Picture is now in production at International Studios, under the direction of Sherman Scott, and features Gordon Jones, former West Coast football star. . . . Bob Steele returns to the western field, signing a contract with Neufeld to be starred in four “Sagebrush Family” outdoor features. ( Continued on page 14) 50 Features Set For MONOGRAM'S '40 -'41 PROGRAM Dallas — Fifty features will constitute Monogram’s 1940-41 program, according to an announcement by W. Ray Johnston, president, who served as chairman of the franchise holders’ convention here last week end. The schedule for the coming season is almost evenly divided between features and westerns, with 26 productions included in the former classification and 24 in the latter. Top production budgets will be allocated to “The Pioneers,” epic of covered wagon days based on the novel by James Fenimore Cooper; “The Ape,” by Adam Hull Shirk, a Broadway stage play in which Boris Karloff will be starred; “Land of the Sky Blue Water,” to include two songs by Charles Wakefield Cadman — the title number and “At Dawning”; “The King and the Cowboy,” a Graustarkian romance of a boy king. “Under Northern Skies” and “Land of the Long Shadows” are two novels authored by Jack London which figure prominently on the program. The late Earl Derr Riggers’ Saturday Evening Post story “Dollar Chasers” is also scheduled. Gene Stratton-Porter’s novel, “Her Father’s Daughter,” and a sequel to “Freckles” entitled “Freckles Comes Home,” by Jeannette Stratton Porter, will be made. Marcia Mae Jones and Jackie Moran, youthful co-starring team, will be seen in a filmization of “The Old Swimmin’ Hole” suggested by James Whitcomb Riley’s celebrated poem, as well as in “Sweet Sixteen” and “Day Dreams.” Other properties on the list include “College Sweetheart” by Leona Dalrymple, which appeared in the Woman’s Home Companion; “Million Dollar Mystery,” Collier’s magazine story by Hugh Wiley; “I Cover the Town,” “You’re Out of Luck,” “The Sky’s the Limit,” and “My Home Town,” with Frankie Darro; “Boys of the City” and “That Gang of Mine,” with the East Side Kids; “While Frisco Sleeps,” “Phantom of Chinatown” and “Alias Jimmy Hogan,” stories by Hugh Wiley; “One Glorious Adventure,” by Dorothy Reid and Betty Burbridge, and “Orphans of the North,” a Norman Dawn production. Three series of eight westerns each will be released by Monogram. Tex Ritter will star in a group of musical western; Fred Scott in another series of outdoor dramas and a new team composed of John King and Ray Corrigan to be known as “The Two Pals” in the third group. The 1940-41 Monogram sales quota has been set at $9,225,000, it was announced by Johnston. Figure represents an increase of $375,000 over last year and more than $3,000,000 lift since 1937 when the re-organized company held its first convention. Announcement was received with enthusiasm by the representatives of the 36 branches of Monogram in the United States and Canada who expressed the belief that the strong program augmented by a 50 percent increase in the production budgets of 14 films and a 30 percent increase in the appropriations for 12 others assured the realization of the new sales figures. Among those on hand to attend the convention were: Ben Welansky, Steve Broidy, Boston; Harry Berkson, Buffalo; George West, Harry Thomas, New York. MONOGRAM CHIEFS. Here may be seen some of those who will help lead and also appear under the Monogram banner during the new season. Top row, reading from left to right, W. Ray Johnston, president; Scott R. Dunlap, vice-president in charge of production; M. S. White, secretary; Thomas F. Loach, treasurer; Edward Schieber, assistant treasurer; and John S. Harrington, manager of film and accessories. Bottom row, left to right, are Edward A. Golden, general sales manager; Norton V. Ritchey, general foreign manager; Lloyd Lind, assistant to the sales manager; Louis S. Lifton, director of advertising and publicity; Ray Corrigan, cowboy star; John King, cowboy star; and Fred Scott, cowboy star. April 24, 1940