The Film Daily (1941)

1 ursday, May 22, 1941 W*Volu7 ritish Productions timed for U. S. Marl London (By Cable) — Two new fea res aimed for the American as well the British and Empire markets ~> into production this week. Robert and Carol Reed are scheduled • it^art on the story about the Wf er Pitt at Shepherd's Bush to crTTow. Second picture to start is latter's Castle," which will be proiced at Denham by I. Goldsmith • r Paramount. Lance Comfort will rect the latter. Intended for similar distribution Conqueror's "Soldiers of Fleet :reet," which will go before the .meras some time next month. aj. David Niven will star, and nthony Asquith will direct. Other new productions coming up ■e "Portrait of a British Yeoman," hich will be shot at Ealing. That udio at the moment is concentratg on a Fleet Air Arm picture, ■5'nips with Wings," with Leslie nks and John Clements. ] Ben Lyon and Ann Dvorak are turning to the screen in Warners' i'ou Can't Escape Forever," well ong at Teddington. It's a French fugee drama against a Parisian tting. Features recently completed here, id which wil receive American disibution, include 20th-Fox's "Kipps," .th Carol Reed and Michael Red•ave which had a gala world premie at Folkstone last week despite izi raiders passing overhead; RKO idio's Polish flying story, "Dan■rous Moonlight"; Leslie Howard's Mmpernel Smith," and British Naonal's "Penn of Pennsylvania." etro Buys Story .ist Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Metro has bought bugles Blow at Midnight" by Wilim R. Lipman. Story concerns a wspaper controlled by Fascists rich puts up a candidate for the ' esidency. KO Closes Cincy Family Cincinnati — RKO Family has sed for the Summer. RKO Lyric, the same block will adopt the imily policy of double bills, facing Western action features at ;c top. Stock Drop Interests Wall St. Fall Biz Expected to Show Marked Gains erb Ellisburg Recovering Chicago — Herb Ellisburg, manager director of the Loop Studio theer is recovering in Michael Reese spital from a serious operation gall stones. "Red, Hot and Blue" Acquired by Metro West Coast Bur.. THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — M-G-M has acquired the rights to the 1936 Broadway musical, "Red, Hot and Blue" and American screen rights to the Mexcence van de Meersch French novel "L'Empreinte du Dieu," translated and published in this country as "Hath Not the Potter. ' Decline in the prices of amusement issues, both on the Big Board and Curb Market in recent weeks, has attracted considerable interest in financial circles. Discussing the market situation, and its relation to current company business, the Wall St. Journal yesterday said: Moving picture shares have not acted so well recently and Loew's in particular has been slipping off, selling around the lows of 1941. Earnings of the latter company for the 25 weeks ended March 31 were equal to $2.80 a share, compared with $3.79 a share for the period ended March 14, 1940. Most of the decline in earnings was due to reduced revenues drawn from Britain. Loew's, too, has not had films with the same popularity as some of those it had in 1940. "Paramount's first quarter earnings, showing 89 cents a share, while substantial, were somewhat less than had been anticipated by the Street. Although the tax feature in this company's earnings has yet to be estimated when the new tax bill is completed, profits should continue at about the first quarter's levels. It should be noted, however, that profits of this company for the first period more than covered a year's dividends at the 20 cents quarterly rate on the common stock. "Usually the Summer period is a quieter one for the movies but it remains to be seen how far this year's 'slowing' in attendance will work out with the country at full tilt on arms production and fewer vacations taken. Undoubtedly, attendance has been reduced in centers where munition workers are putting in overtime, "On the other hand, other workers will not be taking the usual vacations so they may swell attendance during the Summer. Altogether, it is likely that moving picture attendance in the Fall should make a better comparison with a year ago — and latter period was a good one for the theaters." Urges Delaware Baptists To Shun Sunday Films Dover, Del.— The Rev. Arthur R. James, president of the United Baptist convention of Delaware, called upon members of the denomination to shun Sunday motion pictures and other such Sunday diversion, now legal. Adkins loins Disney June 1 Boston — David C. Adkins, who has been associated with Disney productions locally and also is executive director of New England Town Hall, beginning June 1 joins Disney permanently, probably in New York. Frisco Catholic Paper Raps Sex-Comedy Trend San Francisco — The Monitor, local Catholic newspaper, pans recent Hollywood trend of mixing sex and comedy. Two column attack stresses fact that picture makers are not only flaunting the League of Decency, but also ignoring the fact that box-office and critic polls show clean pictures winners by wide margin. De Havilland, Astor Cast West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Warner Bros, has cast Olivia de Havilland in "One Foot in Heaven," opposite Fredric March. Mary Astor was assigned to the feminine lead in "Knights of Malta." John Huston is the author and he will direct the film. Mueller-Stahl Pooling Sharon, Pa. — John Mueller, who operates the Gable Theater, and Harry Stahl, who operates the NuLuna Theater in this town, have combined their theaters under a partnership arrangement, the new concern to be known as the Sharon Theater Company, to become effective June 1. 20th-Fox Gets Pidgeon West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Twentieth-Fox has closed a deal to borrow Walter Pidgeon from Metro for the role of Dr. Gruffydd in "How Green Was My Valley." How to Ruin a Vacation Cincinnati — E. M. Booth, M-G-M branch manager, is recovering from a bad attack of poison ivy, contracted while vacationing. HTA Files as Bankrupt 11 est Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — The Hollywood Theater Alliance, producer of the legit, show, "Meet the People," has filed a voluntary petition in bankruptcy. Wage increases when the show went on the road was the chief cause of the failure, it was said. Weidler in Shirley Temple Role West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Metro has cast Virginia Weidler in the role originally intended for Shirley Temple in "Babes on Broadway." Lee Blumberg to Florida Lee Blumberg, in charge of field exploitation for Warner Bros., is in Jacksonville, Fla., to supervise the campaign on "The Great Lie" for the opening of the St. Johns Theater there on May 28. Col.-Gloria Swanson Deal? West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Columbia will probably make a picture with Gloria Swanson after she finishes "Father Takes a Wife" for RKO unless the latter company exercises it option for another picture with her. Pascal May Produce For UA in Canada (Continued from Page 1) ducing in the Toronto studios which have been inactive for the last five years. If conditions prove favorable, Pascal will produce two George Bernard Shaw stories a year and one by another author. Included in Pascal's delegation will be Harry Buckley, vice-president of United Artists; Martin Paggi sound technician for Pascal; Charles Ross, lighting expert, and Arthur Gottlieb and Jack Goetz of the Du-Art Film Laboratories. Pascal is taking a print of "Major Barbara" for a special screening to be attended by Dominion and Provincial government officials. To Film "Powers' Models' As Ann Sheridan Starrer West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Warner Bros, has bought "Powers' Models," a story by Voldemar Vetluguin. While film is a vehicle for Ann Sheridan, Katharine Aldridge, Georgia Carroll and others of the studio's ingenues, the Powers' models will appear in the film. Everett Freeman will collaborate with the author on the screen treatment. Dismiss Neugebauer Suit Suit of Emil Neugebauer for $200,000 damages against Nate J. Blumberg and Blumberg's secretary, Lawrence Waterman, was dismissed yesterday by New York Supreme Court Justice Bernard L. Shientag who held that the defendants were not personally liable on an alleged contract. The plaintiff had charged the breach of an agreement under which he allegedly secured the services of Gloria Jean for Universal. Lesser Signs Harry Horner West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Sol Lesser has set Harry Horner as production designer for "Strange Victory," in association with Erno Metzner. Horner is well known for his stage work, and also designed "Railroads on Parade" exhibit at the New York World's Fair. To Film Harvard Graduation Boston — Harvard Commencement exercises will be filmed by RKOPathe, Paramount and Republic Pictures. 'Any Port in a Storm9 San Francisco — Matinee business in several downtown grind houses took a noticeable jump. Managers thanked Allah and scratched their head for the answer. They discovered that Union Square Park, regular abode of hundreds of bench loungers, is being torn up in building of underground garage. Habitants are now doing their lounging in movie seats.