The Film Daily (1945)

fnu DAILY Wednesday, August 29, 19^1 Five Specials Among 'U*s' 55 for Next Seasor Walter Wanger to Produce Two in Technicolor; Two Abbott-Costello Features (Continued from Page 1) and J. H. Skirball-Bruce Manning Productions. Scully emphasized Universal's flexibility being able to meet and set the pace in entertainment values. "In the coming year, more than ever," he said, "Universal will be able to supply to top roster of players, directors, writers and producers, not only in our own product but those of the outside producers. We have been carefully adding to this roster for the past six months to be ready for the new trend and the new year's program." Wanger's Two Specials Specials will include two Technicolor productions from Walter Wanger. "Night in Paradise," stars Merle Oberon and Turhan Bey, directed by Arthur Lubin, while the second will be "Canyon Passage," with Dana Andrews, Brian Donlevy, Susan Hayward, Patricia Roc, Andy Devine and Hoagy Carmichael. Jacques Tourneur will direct from the Ernest Haycox Saturday Evening Post story. Diana Productions, headed by Fritz Lang, with Wanger as executive vice-president and Joan Bennett as treasurer, will make "Scarlet Street," produced and directed by Lang, and starring Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett, with Dan Duryea. Skirball-Manning schedules "Genius in the Family," starring Myrna Loy and Don Ameche, from the bestseller by Hiram Percy Maxim. Frank Ryan will direct. Company's second will star Claudette Colbert and Don Ameche in an original by Bruce Manning. Two Deanna Durbin pictures, produced by Felix Jackson, are scheduled. In the first, "Because of Him," Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone co-star, with Richard Wallace directing. Second will be "Letters of an Unknown Woman." "As It Was Before," adapted from Luig'i Riding Herd on the Studio IVenvs Range West Coast Bur., THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Day's news roundup: Metro has signed Lloyd Nolan for "Time for Two." RKO will star Lawrence Tierney in "Deadlier Than the Male." Title role in the PineThomas "Tokyo Rose" goes to Lotus Long. Heavy in Columbia's "Giida" will be Joseph Calleia. Metro has cast Edward Arnold and Marie Wilson in "No Leave, No Love." Herbert Wilcox wants Ronald Coiman to return to England to co-star with Anna Neagie in "Piccadilly 1945." Martha Stewart will be the third girl in 20th-Fox's "Three Little Girls in Blue." Urn JST. Producers Re-elect Rank Studio Space Lack Termed "Very Serious London (By Cable) — Future for British films is very bright, J. Arthur Rank commented, following his reelection yesterday to the chairmanship of the British Film Producers Association for the third year in succession. The only disconcerting factor he sees is the lack of studio space which Rank considers very serious. In this connection, reports current along Wardour St. indicate that the assistance of the Board of Trade is expected to be sought in a move to hasten the present slow rate of studio de-requisition. Numerous films have been put back because of the // delay in returning prints to regular industry usage. A survey shows that Hal Wallis, because of the lack of studio space, has cancelled his plan to make a feature in England this year, while Paramount is held up on its plans to produce three, and Herbert Wilcox's "Piccadilly 1945," successor to his "I Live in Grosvenor Square" has been put off from September to next March. Rank revealed that he plans to make a Technicolor feature based on the life of Charles B. Cochrane, British stage producer, with production slated for 1946. Make Attempt to End Local 306 Deadlock (Continued from Page 1) spokesman for the lATSE. The Alliance was asked to hear the dispute in an effort to revive negotiations. Richard F. Walsh, its head, was the lATSE representative sitting in at the meeting between Local 306 and the companies. The halt in negotiations brought a strike thx-eat from Local 306. Walsh yesterday made it clear that no strike talk would be tolerated until every effort had been made to smooth out the differences between union and employers. Polio Bans Rockford Juves Rockford, 111. — Theater owners here have been ordered by the city authorities to refuse admittance to children under 14 due to the number of cases of polio. Variety Club Tie-in for Blank Memorial Hospital Des Moines — Name of the hospital A. H. Blank and his wife donated in memory of their late son has been changed to the Raymond BlankVariety Club Memorial, and should the local Variety Club tent return to full activity, the wing will become one of their chief charities, it was disclosed following a visit by R. J. O'Donnell, national chief barker of the Variety Clubs. Blank has expressed his willingness to co-operate in the re-organization of the Des Moines tent and local film men are discussing details leading up to a return of the charter. Denis in New Pix Co. Armand G. Denis, Harold J. Sherman and Ross Lapp have fonued Documentary Adventure Pictures Corp. Pirandello's "As Before, Better Than Before," stars Merle Oberson. Claude Rains and Charles Korving:, with William Dieterle directing and Howard Benedict as producer. Two With Abbott-Costello Two Abbott and Costello films are listed. First, "Boy Wonder," is adapted from a screenplay by Bruce Manning-, and the second will be "Buck Privates Come Home," directed by William Seite'r. Yvonne De Carlo is scheduled for two top budget Technicolor productions. In "Frontier Gal," Rod Cameron co-stars in a Michael Fessier-Ernest Pagano production directed by CTiarles Lamont. Second will be "Heat Wave," an orig-inal by Walter Reisch, who will direct, with Edward Kauffman acting as producer. Music of Rimsky-Korsakov will be featured. Another Fessier-Pagano production, "That Nig-ht With You," stars Franchot Tone, Susanna Foster, Louise AUbritton and David Bruce, with William Seiter directing-. Maria Montez will have her first modern role in "Tangier," written by Steve Fisher, directed by George Waggner, and produced by Paul Malvern, with Joe Gershenson as executive producer. Mark Hellinger Productions has several story properties under consideration and will make an announcement shortly. "Time Out of Mind," from the novel by Rachel Field, will be produced by Jane Murfln. "Shady Lady," co-starring Charles Coburn, Ginny Simms and Robert Paige has been completed with George Waggner functioning as producer-director and Joe Gershenson as executive producer. "The Daltons Ride Again," will star Alan Curtis, Martha O'Driscoll, Lon Chaney, Kent Taylor, Noah Beery, Jr., John Litel and Thomas Gomez, with Ray Taylor directing. "Johnnie Anselmo," will be a Lucien Hubbard production, written and produced by Hubbard. Also scheduled is "White Tie and Tails," a top budget modern comedy. Peggy Ryan's first grown-up role will be "Men in Her Diary," which co-stars Jon Hall and Louise AUbritton. fcharles Barton produced and directed, with Howard Welseh as executive producer. Exploitation Specials Four Showman Exploitation Specials for which a special exploitation department will be set up, include: "House of Dracula," starring Boris Karloff, with Erie Kenton directing |or Producer Paul Malvern, "Bad Sister," "Flame of 'the Klondike." and "Brute Man," latter produced by Ben Pivar. "Hero Wanted" will co-star Jack Oakie, Peggy Ryan and Ann BIyth, while Joan Davis is slated for "That's My Baby." Three Sherlock Holmes pictures starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, with Roy William Neill as producer-director, are scheduled. Titles are "The Fugitive," "Prelude to Murder" and "Terror by Night." Balance of the program will be topical sub.jects aimed at the trends of the times and to meet current box office demands. Seven westerns, to star Kirby Grant and featuring Fuzzy Knight, will have Wallace Fox as producer-director. Morgan B. Cox, serial supervisor, will make four serials to be directed by Ray Taylor and Lewis D. Collins. Titles include "Secret Agent X-9," "The Royal Mounted Rides Again." "The Scarlet Horseman" and "Lost City of the Jungle." Short subjects scheduled include 104 issues of Universal Newsreel, 13 Walter Lantz Technicolor Cartoons, 15 Person -Oddities, 15 Variety Views, 13 Name-Band Musicals and two special featurettes. Metro Jumps Shorts To 54 for Next Year (Continued from Page 1) stock restrictions, ill health of Pe Smith and radio demands on the tin of John Nesbitt. The current pr gram embraced 16 cartoons and 1 FitzPatrick Traveltalks. Offered for 1945-46 by Metro, addition to the specials which wi include Crime Does Not Pay subject are the following one-reelers: " Pete Smith Specialties; six Jol Nesbitt's Passing Parades; six Mir, atures, some of which will be doi by Carey Wilson; 16 M-G-M cartooi and 12 FitzPatrick Traveltalks, tl latter two series in Technicolo M-G-M also will offer the customai 104 issues of the bi-weekly News < the Day. Commenting upon the new pr gram, Rodgers said the company b lieved that "what the public wan and the industry needs is more, «■ less, shorts — and better ones." Poin ing out that the short had broug! the industry "incalculable prestij and good-will" during the war, Ro' gers added, "The short is a powerf and informative medium which c continue to discharge a civic and s cial obligation which extends to evei theater in every community." Maj. Monroe Greenthal Goes on Inactive List (Continued from Page 1) an assistant to Donald M. Nelso then WPB head. He handled the n tional scrap metal campaign, ar was cited by Nelson for his succes ful campaign in that emergency. In June, 1943, Greenthal was con missioned a captain, subsequent) was promoted to major and put j charge of all factory showing of hig priority films. This project develops from an audience of 70,000 workei monthly to an average high of mo] than 9',000,000 attendance month! through more than 45,000 screening each 30 days. Greenthal received a letter of con mendation from Robert P. Pattersoi Under Secretary of War for his an ministration of this War Departmer program. Greenthal, former director of ac vertising and publicity for UA, now on terminal leave after bein relieved of active duty as of Monda; STORK REPORTS Mike Weiss, 20th-Fox's Philade phia exploiteer, became a fathe Monday, when his wife gave birth t a baby daughter, Jacqueline Nai their first child, at Lying-in Hospita Philadelphia.