The Film Daily (1939)

20 W1^ Tuesday, March 21, 1939 Eight Musicals Among Metro's 52, Chi. Parley Hears Budget Goes Up — Rodgers; Exhibs. Leaders at Convention Today {Continued from Page 1) attended by Ed Kuykendall, MPTOA prexy; Col. H. A. Cole, Allied States' president, and Harry Brandt, prexy of the New York ITOA. It is a departure in trade practice and inasmuch as all three have been prominent in the present reform negotiations, their remarks are being awaited with keenest interest. Metro's 1939-40 lineup will be topped by five outstanding productions, Rodgers disclosed. He singled out: "It Can't Happen Here," by Sinclair Lewis; "The Wizard of Oz," by L. Frank Baum; "Northwest Passage," by Kenneth Roberts; "Quo Vadis," by Henry Sienkiewicz, and the previously announced Selznick International production of "Gone With the Wind," by Margaret Mitchell. Analysis of the 1939-40 Metro titles shows: Planned Productions Eleven based on plays. Fifteen based on novels and published stories. (In three instances, lovels also have been dramatized for the stage). Thirteen based on originals. Contemplated Productions Two based on plays. Eleven based on novels and pubished stories. Five based on originals. Breakdown further shows: Eight productions will be in the musical category: "Broadway Melody of 1940"; "Lover Come Back to Me"; "Ziegfeld Follies"; "Balalaika"; "Babes in Arms"; "Ziegfeld Girl"; "Day at the Circus" and "Go West." Three classify as biographical: "Thomas Edison" (Spencer Tracy), "Madame Currie" (Greta Garbo), and "Beau Brummel" (Robert Donat). Five will be re-makes: "Quo Vadis" (1921-1925-1929); "Beau Brummel" (1924); "Journey's End" (1930); "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1916); "The Rosary" (1922). Continuation of four series is planned: "Thin Man," "Broadway Melody," "Judge Hardy Family" and "Dr. Kildare." Two productions will be in Technicolor: "Gone With the Wind" and "Wizard of Oz." Two features will be made in England; "Beau Brummel" and "Journey's End"; both will star Robert Donat. Titles With Stars Assigned Titles (authors in parenthesis) ith stars assigned are: Metro Stellar Roster Has 24 Names Chicago— Metro now has 24 first-rank stars and 62 featured players under contract, the sales convention here was advised yesterday. With 24 directors on the list and more than 83 writers under contract, Metro's equipment for the fulfillment of its seasonal plans reaches the highest total in company's history, it was said. Happy Days Skowhegan, Me. — Biz is so good here that Somerset Theaters, Inc., has reopened the old Opera House to accommodate overflow from the Strand. Opera House had been dark for years. "The Wizard of Oz" (L. Frank Baum), Frank Morgan, Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley; "Northwest Passage" (Kenneth Roberts), Wallace Beery, Spencer Tracy, Robert Taylor; "Gone with the Wind" (Margaret Mitchell), Clark Gable; "The Women" (Claire Boothe), Norma Shearer; "Guns and Fiddles" (from "Czardas" by Walter Reisch and Samuel Hoffenstein), Robert Taylor, Hedy Lamarr, Miliza Korjus; "Return of the Thin Man" (Dashiell Hammett), William Powell and Myrna Loy; "Lover Come Back to Me" (Sigmund Romberg), Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy; "Ninotchka" (Melchior Langyel), Greta Garbo; "Broadway Melody of 1940" (Jack McGowan), Eleanor Powell; "Not Too Narrow, Not Too Deep (Richard Sale), Joan Crawford and Spencer Tracy; "After Dark" (Graeme Lorimer and Sarah H. Lorimer), Ina Claire; "The Great Canadian" (Robert Hopkins and Vicki Baum), Clark Gable and Myrna Loy; "A Day at the Circus", Marx Brothers. "Ladv of the Tropics", Robert Taylor and Hedy Lamarr; "House of Glass (Max Marcin), Joan Crawford; "Yank at Eton" (George Oppenheimer and Thomas Phipps), Mickey Rooney; "Thomas Edison" (Dore Schary and Hugo Butler), Spencer Tracy; "Madame Curie" (Eve Curie), Greta Garbo; "Beau Brummel" (Clyde Fitch), Robert Donat; "Sea of Grass" (Conrad Richter), Spencer Tracy; "Balalaika" (Eric Maschwitz), Nelson Eddy, Ilona Massey; "I Love You Again" (Octavus Roy Cohen and Maurine Watkins), William Powell and Myrna Loy; "Hands Across the Border" (Gene Towne and Graham Baker), Robert Taylor; "A Lady Comes to Town" (Clements Ripley), Joan Crawford. "Dancing Co-Ed" (Arthur Treynor), Eleanor Powell; "Wings on His Back" (Myles Connolly), James Stewart; "Journey's End" (R. C. Sheriff), Robert Donat; "Go West" (Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby), Marx Brothers; "On Borrowed Time" (Lawrence Edward Watkins), Frank Morgan and Sir Cedric Hardwicke; "Babes in Arms" (Rodgers and Hart), Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, June Preisser and Douglas MacPhail; "Thunder Afloat" (Ralph Wheelwright and Com. Harvey Haislip), Wallace Beery. Titles Unassigned Titles for which no players are announced include: "It Can't Happen Here" (Sinclair Lewis), "Quo Vadis" (Henry Sienkiewicz), "The Ziegfeld Follies", "Witch in the Wilderness" (Desmond Holdridge), "Ziegfeld Girl" (William Anthony McGuire), "Susan and God" (Rachel Crothers), "The Lady and the Waiter" (Dorothy Milhau), "War Eagles" (James A. Creelman and Harold Lamb),. "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (Jules Verne), "The Yearling" (Marjorie Kinan Rawlings), "Wings Over the Desert" (Harold Buckley), "Kim" and "Soldiers Three" (Rudyard Kipling), "Spur of Pride" (Percival Wren), "I Had a Comrade" (Viscount Costleross), "May Flavin" (Myron Brinig), "Florian" CFleix Salten), "Alaska" (Edison Marshall), "These Glamour Girls" (Jane Hall and Marion Parsonnet), "Escape to Prison" (Walter E. Burns), "Nickel Show" (Vera Caspary), "Ruined City" (Nevil Shute, "The Rosary" (Edward E. Rose), "Great Laughter" (Fannie Hurst) and new productions in the Judge Hardy Family" and "Dr. Kildare" series. Harry Brandt Praises M-G-M For Inviting Exhib Leaders Inviting exhibitor leaders to address the M-G-M convention is "the most constructive move made by the industry in years," Harry Brandt, ITOA chief, stated as he departed last night for Chicago. President H. A. Cole of Allied, Ed Kuykendall, MPTOA president, and Brandt are slated to speak before the conventionites today. "Exhibitors and producers' interests are so closely allied under modern merchandising of films that the time is ripe for some company to show the public just what those mutual interests mean," Brandt said. "Makers and sellers of pictures have no reason for shying away from each other." B & K Welcomes Metro Chicago — B & K yesterday used newspaper advertising space to welcome M-G-M's conventioneers to the city. Philly GOP Woman Leader Heads New Penn, Censors Hiarrisburg, Pa. — Mrs. Edna R. Carroll, vice-chairman, Republican City committee of Philadelphia, yesterday was appointed by Gov. James as chairman of Pennsylvania Board of Motion Picture Censors succeeding Mrs. A. Mitchell Palmer, who resigned last week at the Governor's request. Post pays $4800. Two vacancies on board created by dismissals by James remain. Mrs. Carroll will "carry on alone" until May 1 or June 1 when James said he will name two others to board. METRO CONVENTION HONORS SALES CHIEF Chicago — The Metro sales staff acknowledged Wm. F. Rodgers, sales leadership with appropriate cejpmonies at the opening of its fifteev^., -' annual convention yesterday. Westerners in cowboy hats, accompanied by band, played and sang "Happy Birthday to You, Leo," which is the theme of the convention. Tom Connors read many congratulatory messages, while Rodgers spoke on the present sales outlook and plans for new year. Al Lichtman described the new product in detail, telling the boys ihe lineup was greatest in the company's history. Arthur Loew outlined the difficulties of foreign business, said the international organization had to face 26 languages and customs in the drive for business. Ed Hatrick, News of Day editor; Bill Stern, sports; John Kennedy, voice of Loew Theaters, spoke on operations. Fred Quimby opened the afternoon session and introduced James A. FitzPatrick, who outlined his travel talk program. Sam Eckman, Jr., told boys about the Metro British organization, how they pushed for business under various conditions that confront them. Marty Spring, Loew assistant, was introduced. Frank Whitbeck, West Coast advertising manager, took Howard Strickling's place, the latter being detained by illness, and gave an interesting talk. Charles Casanave spoke on advertising accessories supplied by the American Display Co. Tom Connors and Eddie Saunders, followed with booster talk on Metro progress in their districts. Rodgers closed the session with a pep talk, telling the conventioneers they had the best product in the business. Fourteen new star men were given awards at convention. Phil Bobbys of Washington, Clarence Pippin of Philadelphia, Dave McElhinney of Salt Lake City, are two-star men; Rudolph Berger of Washington, John Bowen of New York, Gordon Lightstone of Toronto, Jack Shumow of Chicago, Jerome Adams of Indianapolis, John Allen of Cincinnati, Robert Cain of Denver, Samuel Gardner of Indianapolis, Jacob Goldberg of Washington, Charles Lyne of Dallas and Henry Wolper of Boston were awarded one star. 37 Before Cameras West Coast Bur., THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Thirty-seven pictures are in production with Warner Bros, heading the list with eight. Paramount, six. M-G-M, 20th Century-Fox, RKO and Universal, four each. Columbia and Republic, two each. Selznick, Coldwyn and Small, one each. I