The Film Daily (1933)

DAILY Friday. Jan. 6. 1933 A LITTLE from "LOTS // By RALPH WILK HOLLYWOOD TTHREE new writing assignments were made this week at the Paramount studios with Sidney Buchman, Seton I. Miller and Grover .Join placed on forthcoming productions. Buchman is working on the screen play for "Chrysalis," Ross Albert Porter's new Broadway <tage play. Miller is collaborating with Bogart Rogers on John Monk Saunders' original air story, "The Eagle and the Hawk." Jones goes on the story of "Cracked Ice" with Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar. * * * Hugh Herbert's hilarious antics in First National's "She Had to Say Vis," starring Loretta Young, made such a hit around the studio that he is to make a test for another feature assignment in another Darryl Zanuck production following his present one. * * * Howard Estabrook, having just completed his RKO contract, is to take his first vacation in five years. Since joining Paramount this prolific writer has achieved a reputation for turning out box-office stories. * * * George Archainbaud is reading three stories submitted him by Radio's chief producing executive, David O. Selznick. from which to select his next assignment. Archainbaud's last directorial effort was "The Penguin Pool Murder." * * * Robert E. Lee, Paramount scenarist, has been assigned the screen adaptation of Zane Grey's "Under the Tonto Rim," which is scheduled for early production. Henry Hathaway will direct and Kent Taylor will be featured. * * * Lee Tracy, former Broadway stage star who has had a meteoric rise in films, has engaged the services of two secretaries to handle the large amount of fan mail which has deluged him during the past four months. * * * Roy Del Ruth, Warner ace megaphonist, has been in parts unknown for the past week concentrating on his next First National assignment. * * * Victor Schertzinger will direct "Auction in Souls," based on the Eugene O'Neill play, "Recklessness," which KBS is producing for World Wide Pictures. Claire Windsor is the latest addition to the cast which will be headed by Conrad Nagel and Leila Hyams. Warren Mundin Turns Author Herbert Mundin has turned writer and sold his first story, "The Politicians." to Fox. 18 New Paramount Films Set Before Emanuel Cohen, Paramount production chief, left this week for New York he completed plans for the production of 18 pictures for release in January, February and March. Albert A, Kaufman is in charge of the studios during Cohen's absence. Duff has written the screen adaptation and the picture will go into production toward the end of this week. * * * "Today We Live" has been selected by M-G-M as the title of the forthcoming Joan Crawford-Gary Cooper picture. * * * Hugh Herbert, former New York stage comedian, on the eve of his departure to join the cast for the forthcoming Lew Brown-Ray Henderson presentation, was won over by First National's chief executive, Darryl Francis Zanuck, to remain to play the featured comedy role in Loretta Young's next production, "She Had to Say Yes." For the past four months, since fulfilling a two vear's agreement with RKO Radio, Herbert has been consistently busy as a member of the free-lance field. » * * A bad case of "flu" ended the stage run of "Elmer the Great" a little more than a week after Joe E. Brown began a starring engagement in it at the El Capitan theater, Hollywood. Brown is now recovering and, instead of going back to the stage to finish the interrupted engagement, he will wait until full recovery, at which time he will beTin work in First National's "Elmer the Great." Victor Jory has been assigned another Fox role in "Broadway Bad," in which Joan Blondell, Ricardo Cortez and Ginger Rogers will have the featured parts. . . . * * * Ralph Bellamy has the leading male role in Columbia's "Beneath the Sea." * * * Reginald Owen, amusing Englishman of stage and screen, in addition to his histrionic abilities, has a distinct flair for writing. He has written the screen adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous story. "A Study In Scarlet" which World Wide is preparing to produce. Ed Marin, who was signed on a longterm contract as a result of his fine work on "The Death Kiss," his first major directorial assignment, will direct "A Study In Scarlet." Owen has been signed for a featured role. * * * An interesting and lengthy article by William Anthony McGuire, prolific playwright, scenarist and associate producer, which recently appeared in a national magazine, has created no litt1e comment in film circles. "Should the Film Industry Become Entrenched in National Politics?" is the title of McGuire's yarn. GAUMONT COMPLETES 13 Thirteen of the 40 GaumontBritish features on this season's schedule have been completed and will be released in the U. S. within the next few months, it is announced by the company's New York office. GRAY-CLAIRE BOOKED Alexander Gray and Bernice Claire have been signed to headline the stage bills at Warner's Earle in Washington, week of Jan. 6, and the Earle in Philadelphia the following week. ZIT'S GETS PARA. FILMS Zit's Cosmopo'itan Theater at Columbus Circle has signed for subsequent runs of Paramount pictures. The first booking, beginning today, is "The Phantom President." The house also shows RKO vaurfeville. POLLARD TO DIRECT WAR FILM Bud Pollard has been engaged by Samuel Cummins to direct "The Forgotten Man," a story of the World War to be released by Jewel Productions, Inc., within the next two weeks. DETROIT THEATER NOTES Detroit — The Adams, downtown house operated by a Chicago corporation of which Harry Balaban is understood to be the head, goes into a first-run policy Dec. 18. The opening film will be "The Big Drive." The Rex, West Side house, is now owned by Westfort Theater Co., with William H. Steffes, Leland G. Hillier, and Alfred G. Lane as proprietors. The change involves no shift of owners, but the operating company has been granted a Michigan charter, with a capitalization of $10,000. The Lincoln Square, of which Miss E. Fabrique was manager, has been taken over by the Schrieber-Robinson circuit. House was operated by Ben and Lou Cohen. DALTON IN SENATE POST Leo A. Dalton, who was chief of maintenance in the upstate New York division of Fox theaters during the William Fox regime, has been named sergeant-at-arms of the New York state Senate. Heather Angel, British actress imported by Fox, will have the leading role in "House of Refuge," with Alexander Kirkland in the leading male role. The picture is to be directed by Alfred Sanl.ll. * * * Columbia's horse production, starring Rex, the black stallion, in production several months under the tentative title, "Wild Horse Stampede," will be generally released soon under the permanent title of "Wild Stallion." * * * "Hell Below" is the final title for the M-G-M film of submarine adventure, formerly called "Pigboats," featuring Walter Huston, Jimmy Durante, Robert Montgomery, Madge Evans and Robert Young, location scenes for which were completed recently at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Jack Conway directed. * * * Paramount Cast Assignments: Frances Dee, Richard Arlen for "College Humor." Randolph Scott for "No Man of Her Own." Kathleen Burke, Charlie Ruggles, Lionel Atwill, Randolph Scott, John Lodge, Gail Patrick for "Murders in the Zoo." De Witt Jennings, Billy Bletcher for "Good Company." Carole Lombard, Jack Oakie, Adrienne Ames, David Manners, Verna Hillie, Shirley Grey, Bradley Page, Cecil Cunningham, Thomas E. Jackson, Jimmy Eagles for "From Hell to Heaven." Irving Pichel, Lona Andre, William J. Kelly, Frank Sheridan for "The Woman Acused." * * * Chick Chandler, nephew of Howard Chandler Christy, the famous artist, has been assigned a role in "Sweepings," now being filmed at the RKO Studios with Lionel Barrymore as the star. * * * Patricia Ellis, 17-year old "find" who is being groomed for stardom by Warner-First National, has been assigned as Joe E. Brown's leading lady in his next picture, "Elmer the Great." * * * Production has started on "College Gigolos," a Bryan Foy two-reel comedy which is the third in the series of "Sunrise Comedies" being released by Columbia. Eddie Lambert has the principal role. The other characters have been assigned to Dorothy Grainger, Gino Corrado, Al Klein, Hugh Kidder and Bobby Ray. Lew Seiler is directing. Chatterton's Next Ruth Chatterton, has been cast by F.-N. in the title role of "Lilly Turner." George Abbott and Philip Dunning wrote the original play on which the screen version is being based.