Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1939)

NOVEMBER 4, 1939 11 however, been decided to do the production on the Coast with a cast to include Charles Winninger, Jean Parker and Richard Carlson. Edward Sutherland directs . . . David Butler will make two more pictures for RKO next year as the result of a contract recently concluded with the director. His next may be a second Kay Kyser opus, if the bandleader will agree to a deal . . Richard Dix, whose career has had such impetus since "Man Of Conquest" is working out a contract with the studio which would permit him to direct, write and act. Dix has submitted an original story to the studio as a possible vehicle for himself. CASTINGS: Maria Ouspenskaya, Charles Winninger, C. Aubrey Smith, Harry Carey, Richard Carlson in •■And So Good-bye" .... Frank Readliek, George COUloris, John Emery. Jack Carter. Norman Lloyd in "Heart of Darkness" ....Irene Dunne. Cary Grant, Randolph Scott in "My Favorite Wife".... Joe Penner, Lucille Hall in "Glamour Boy No. 2" Steffi Duna. Dick Hogan, Robert Stanton in "The Marines Fly High" .... Sir Cedric Hardwicke in "Tom Brown's School Days" .... Stanley Logan in "Vigil in the Night".... DIRECTOR ASSIGNMENTS: Les Goodwin in "Glamour Boy No. 2" George Stevens to "Enchanted Cottage" 20TH CENTURY Only one new starter at 20th Century: "Charlie Chan in Panama". Other features at work include "The Bluebird" (Temple); "Daytime Wife" (Power-Darnell), "Grapes of Wrath" (FondaDarwell), "He Married His Wife" (McCrea-Kelly) and "Little Old New York" (Faye-Greene) . . . "Earthbound", "Young as You Feel", "Hotel for Women No. 2", "Shooting High" and "Johnny Apollo" are on tap for November starts . . . Revival of the Mack Sennett and Keystone Cops type of comedies was definitely set this week when 20th Century signed Mack Sennett to collaborate with Harry Joe Brown as an associate producer to make a silent comedy feature temporarily titled "Left at the Alter" or "Love in a Pullman Car" . . . Another result of the success of "Hollywood Cavalcade's" redeeming features — the silent sequences — is a decision by Zanuck to make a cavalcade of western pictures titled '"End of the Trail". The film will utilize the talents of such silent favorites as Tom Mix, William S. Hart, Hoot Gibson and others . . In the next issue of FILM BULLETIN there will appear a very unfavorable review of the latest Jones Family picture. It prompts a few pertinent remarks. Is 20th Century-Fox killing off this series? Has the studio lost sight of the original reason for the Jones' popularity? If we recall those earlier pictures accurately, they were warm stories of human appeal for both adult and juvenile audiences. They were humorous, delightfully so, but always in a plausible, human way. They recorded situations and difficulties confronted every day cf the week by the average American family. Audiences saw themselves mirrored on the screen and enjoyed the spectacle tremendously, thus building the Jones series to the position it occupies today. Lately, these elements have virtually disappeared from the Jones scripts. Instead, the proceedings have consisted almost completely of slapstick comedy. Joan Davis, Eddie Collins, Louise Fazenda are but a few of the low comedians broug.it into thid series in the past year. These people are clever and their antics are amusing to many. But do they entertain the Jones Family fans the middle class American audiences who are now seeing themselves caricatured instead of characterized on the screen? CASTINGS: Kitty McHugh in "Grapes of Wrath" .... Lloyd Nolan. Raymond Walburn in "Johnny Apollo" .... Marion Briscoe, Major James H. McNamara m "Little old New York".... Don Ameche in ••End of the Trail" lune Gale in -Young As You Feel" CONTRACTS: Betty Grable to deal Marjorie Weaver optioned UNITED ARTISTS "House Across the Bay" (Joan Bennett-Raft) and an untitled Laurel and Hardy four reeler have been sent into production at United Artists during the past two weeks . . Next UA feature to start is Hal Roach's "1,000,000 B.C.", to be produced by D. W. Gri th. Preliminary work has been under way for some weeks now . . . WB and Sam Goldwyn, who have been most chummy about trading stars during recent months, have hit a snag where Zorina is concerned. The Warner lot which just starred her in "On Your Toes" was anxious to retain the dancer for a second feature. Goldwyn has turned down that proposal as well as Zorina's own request that she be released from her contract with the producer . . . Although David Niven's departure for the English front line has been publicized with all the fanfare of a declaration of war, Sam Goldwyn is said to be preparing a "Raffles" sequel to start work shortly, which may indicate that Niven's jaunt to England will not be permanent . . . Frank Craven, Sol Lesser and Thornton Wilder have been hard at work on the shooting script for "Our Town". John Cromwell, Sam Wood and William Wyler are under consideration for the directorial job. Those who have wondered how the Wilder sceneryless stage play will be transplanted to the screen may be interested in learning that scenery, of course, will be used in the film. Frank Craven, however, will act as narrator in the same fashion as the play. The cemetery scene will be played by having pictures of the deceased people come to life and speak to the heroine. She will not 3ie in the screen version. Lesser is considering the idea of employing the stage device of having questions asked by planted members in the audience to be answered on the screen by Craven — but this is a rather remote possibility outside the first run houses, if at all . . . Walter Wanger has set the following three features to follow "House Across the Bay": "Personal History", "Dynasty of Death" and "So Gallantly Gleaming" . . . Sam Goldwyn is considering a feature based on the Louisiana Purchase. CASTINGS: Leo G. Carroll, Forrester Harvey in '•Rebecca" (Selznick).... Carole Landis, Victor Mature. John Hubbard in "1,000.000 BC" (Roach).... Lloyd Nolan, June Knight in "House Across the Bay" ( Wanger) .... Doris Jordan in " Vinegarroon" (Goldwyn) DIRECTOR ASSIGNMENTS: Robert Stevenson to "Ordeal" (Selznick) UNIVERSAL Four pictures are underway: "Framed" (Robert ArmstrongConstance Moore), "The Big Guy" (McLaglen-J. Cooper), "Destry Rides Again" (Stewart-Dietrich) and "The Invisible Man Returns" (C. Hardwicke-V. Price) . . Important features set to go in the near future are "Charlie McCarthy — Detective" (Edgar Bergen) and the untitled Mae West-W.C. Fields starring vehicle . . . Harry Edington, having completed "Green Hell", is making preparations to launch his second U release . . . Universal, home of horror pictures, is preparing two additional chill features — "Friday the Thirteenth", to star Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, and "The Electric Chair'' . . . Deanna Durbin's next musical will be "It's A Date". It will follow "Destry Rides Again" on producer Pasternak's calendar . . John M. Stahl, after being with Universal for almost three years, has left the lot. The producer-director is reported planning the formation of an independent organization. Universal will probably endeavor to secure the releasing deal for this company has had great success with Stahl dramas. "Bull By the Horns" on which Stahl had been working will be turned over to another producer. CASTINGS: Barbara Pepper, Dale Armstrong, Walter Tetley, James Lukas in "Trouble Is My Middle Name" .... Russell Powell in "Tower of London" ....Bing Crosby in "If I Had My Way".... Alan Napier in "The Invisible Man Returns" .... Robert Cummings. Constance Moore. Samuel S. Hinds. John Sutton in ••Charlie McCarthy, Detective" DIRECTOR ASSIGNMENTS: David Butler in -If 1 Had My Way" STORY BUYS: "Son of Mama Posito" by Maxwell Aley WARNERS Six films are in production at WB: "Fugitive From Justice" (Morgan Conway-Roger Pryor), "King of the Lumberjacks" (John Payne-Gloria Dickson), "The Life of Dr. Ehrlich" (Edward G. Robinson), "Virginia City" (Fynn-Hopkins), "Brother Rat and the Baby" (Wayne Morris-P.Lane) and "The Fighting 69th" (Cagney O'Brien). Merle Oberon's WB debut will be in the feminine lead of "They Shall Meet Again", new title for the "One Way Passage" remake . . . Jean Arthur is reported huddling with WB on a commitment she owes this plant. The studio is obviously out for femme names in which it has been somewhat deficient the past tew years . . . Believing himself unfavorably depicted in the WB picture "I Am Not Afraid", Frank L. Shaw ex-mayor of Los Angeles is suing the company for $1,000,000 damages . . . B unit writers have been transferred to short subjects due to the closing down of the Foy unit for a few weeks. CASTINGS: Merle Oberon, Pat O'Brien. George Brent in "We Shall Meet Again" .... Montague Love, Hai ry Davenport. Sig Human. John Litel. Greta Meyer. Albert Hasserman in The Lite of Dr Ehrlich" .... Humphrey Hogai t. Ann Sheridan, John Garfield in "And It All Came True". ... .Miriam Hopkins. Lane Chandler, Moroni Olsen, Hrandon Tynan, Charles Middleton in "Virginia City" DIRECTOR ASSIGNMENTS: Edward Qouldlng to "We Shall Meet Agin". .. .Lloyd Bacon to "And it All Came True" CONTRACTS: Mac Kobson opt ioned .... Nell D'Dny to deal West Coast Editor: David J. Hanna, 1949 North Toft Avenue, Hollywood, California. Phone: Granite 1891. Address all communications concerning news or advertising to Mr. Hanna, above address.