The Film Daily (1936)

A "LITTLE" from HOLLYWOOD "LOTS" By RALPH WILK £LAIRE TREVOR, 20th Centuryf Fox actress, set a record for the number of pictures made by a feminine star when she completed "Song and Dance Man." It was her 14th picture in 30 months. T T T Paul Kelly will sing for the first time on the screen in "Song and Dance Man," for which he warbles "On a Holiday in My Playroom," for a toy shop sequence. ▼ T T Louis Bromfield's latest novel, published in "Cosmopolitan Magazine," "It All Came True," has been bought for the screen by Warners and will be produced this spring. According to present plans, it will be used as a co-starring vehicle for Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler. At present Powell and Miss Keeler are working together in the musical picture "Colleen," now nearing completion. T T T Margaret Sullavan begins work today in "The Moon's Our Home," the new Walter Wanger production based on the Faith Baldwin novel. Shooting on this picture is ahead of schedule, resulting in Fonda's abrupt recall last week from a vacation in New York. In this picture Henry Fonda is for the first time cast opposite Margaret Sullavan — a combination which Wanger believes will have a big box office appeal, and which will probably be repeated in later Wanger productions for Paramount release. T T T Jane Withers, who rapidly attained to child stardom, has been awarded a new long term contract by Darryl F. Zanuck, production chief at 20th Century-Fox, as a result of her work in "Paddy O'Day," shortly to be released. Jane begins work soon on a picture tentatively titled "The Matron's Report" with Jane Darwell, Sara Haden, and Paul Stanton in important roles under the direction of John Blystone. T T T C. C. Burr, producer, passed out the cigars last week and received felicitations upon the birth of a daughter. T T T A new story by Rupert Hughes, "Section 213," has been bought by First National as a starring vehicle for George Brent, who recently finished "Snowed Under," in which he appears opposite three leading ladies — Genevieve Tobin, Glenda Farrell and Patricia Ellis. T ▼ ▼ Lewis Seiler, director of "The Black Gang," is back at work after a short illness with influenza. During Seiler's enforced rest period, Eugene Forde handled the directing reins of the 20th Century-Fox production. T T T Comedy roles for Frank Capra's new production, the Gary Cooper Jean Arthur vehicle tentatively entitled "Opera Hat," were filled by Columbia when Warren Hymer and Raymond Walburn were signed for these parts. Prominent players already signed include Jean Dixon, Mme. Margaret Matzenauer, George Bancroft, Lionel Stander and Douglass Dumbrille. t ▼ T Pat O'Brien and Josephine Hutchinson, who appeared together in "Oil for the Lamps of China," will be teamed again in a forthcoming Warner picture entitled "I Married a Doctor." The film will be directed by Archie Mayo, who recently completed "The Petrified Forest," with Leslie Howard and Bette Davis. "I Married a Doctor" is a picture that Mayo has been wanting to direct for the past two years, and it is at his own special request that he has been assigned to take charge of it. Ross Alexander and Guy Kibbee will also be in the cast. T ▼ ▼ Columbia's next all-star comedy, with Monte Collins, Tom Kennedy, Harrison Green and Janet Warren in the stellar roles, will be titled "Just Speeding." Del Lord directed from the screen play by Harry McCoy. T T T William Berke has started work on the newest of the Fred Kohler, Jr., starring pictures, "Pecos Kid," which Berke will personally direct. In the supporting cast will be Ruth Findley, Roger Williams, Ed Cassidy, Earl Dwyer and Frances Walker. ▼ ▼ ▼ Lewis D. Collins, film director, has signed a managerial contract with Richard K. Polimer. Collins is currently directing "The Return of Jimmy Valentine" for Republic studios. T T T Selznick International has moved into its new offices at RKO-Pathe studios, which were beautified by baskets of roses in every secretarial and executive office, sent by G. B. Howe, general manager of RKOPathe, as a warm welcome from the Pathe lot. T T T Fay Pulsifer, playwright and scenarist, has completed a new play, "The Radiant Guest," which contains highlights of the life of Gaby DeLys, with whom Miss Pulsifer was closely associated for a number of years. The play is scheduled for a Broadway opening. ▼ T T Bill Cody has started work in the eighth of the series of westerns in which he is starring for Spectrum. Picture has not been given a title as yet. Al Herman has been signed to direct, and Bill Cody, Jr., will appear in the picture with his noted father. Florida Flickers Miami — Daily matinees at 2 P. M. have been inaugurated at the Rosetta, Little River, recently added to the Wometco circuit. Burton Clark is manager. Name of the former Sample Theater, Fort Pierce, has been changed to the Ritz. W. J. Melvin has been named manager of the Bartow Theater, Bartow, succeeding J. D. Woodward, who goes to the Victory, Tampa. Melvin comes from St. Petersburg. The Star, Arcadia, has gone on a continuous policy from 3 P. M. G. K. Stanford announces a new theater for Arcadia. The old Wallace Theater building, Bradentown, is being remodeled by the owner, E. C. Martin, and will be leased to an operating company. Sparks Theater Enterprises contemplate remodeling the old Princess, Sanford. Paramount and Beaux Arts Theaters, Palm Beach, are opening for the season. Richard Dorman will supervise the latter house and manage the Paramount. Earl Beard will be house manager at the Beaux Arts. The Capitol, Plant City, is undergoing extensive repairs. F. O. Mullen of Kissimmee has leased the New Circle, Sebring. Florida Theater, Daytona Beach, is reopening for the season. Sidney I Landers is manager. Pittsburgh Patter Pittsburgh — Ken Hoel, former publicity man for the Harris-Alvin and Roosevelt Hotel, has been named manager of Dipson's Capitol Theater in Wheeling, W. Va. Bob Hicks Page, former manager of the Strand in Altoona, is opening an office in New York as business agent for Billy Wade's stage units. Sally Starr is remaining in town to attend the funeral services of her grandmother who died in Baltimore on Thursday. "Mutiny on the Bounty," after a record-breaking engagement at Warners' Sheridan Square, has been moved to the Regent for an additional week. A new Major Bowes unit opened at the Stanley on Friday and the house had the biggest opening in months. Pacific Northwest Notes Seattle — The Liberty here has held over "If You Could Only Cook." Manager Cecil Miller of the Ritz of Spokane has purchased six of the new type western pix with singing from Warners. Management of the Dream Theater of Sedro Woolley, Wash., will provide a present to parents of the first baby born in 1936. Blessed event will secure for parents eight tickets to the Dream. Bill Stanton, son of Fay Pulsifer, playwright, is rehearsing with Julian Eltinge for the stage play, "Children of the Rich." Play opens here about Jan. 10, then to San Francisco, before a New York opening. v v ▼ Rules for nomination for the Award for Achievement in Cinematography will not be changed this year, it is announced by John Arnold, chairman of the Photographic Section of the Technicians Branch. Last year's rules, which will be in effect this year, provide that each cameraman in the industry will be invited to submit for consideration for the Award the name of his two best productions made during the year. From this list of submitted productions, a committee consisting of laboratory and camera department heads will choose the three productions to be nominated for the Award. In choosing the three nominees, the committee will probably project the top twenty-five or thirty productions, as was done last year, without sound in order to give complete concentration on photographic value alone. Nomination ballots will be distributed among all cameramen within the week. Y T Y Jean Hersholt, who is cast as the title character in "The Country Doctor," starring the Dionne Quintuplets, presents an interesting parallel to Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe, physician and guardian to the famous babies, of whom Hersholt is the counterpart in the film. Within three years of each other in age, both are book collectors. Both are inveterate pipe smokers. Each has a son, and each son is named Allan. Allan Dafoe is 19 years old, while Allan Hersholt is 21. Though Hersholt is taller and heavier than Dr. Dafoe, both are of stocky build. Each is a son of rugged country, Hersholt having been born in Denmark, and Dr. Dafoe in Nova Scotia. A poll by the Tokio "Nichi Nichi," largest newspaper in Japan, resulted in first honors for Shirley Temple among the screen favorites of the Japanese people. A telephone call from the managing editor of "Nichi Nichi" in Tokio conveyed the news to Shirley on the "Captain January" set at 20th Century-Fox studios, v r T Ramon Novarro is now playing the music halls over in England and is reported making out better than in his recent play, "Royal Exchange." Neil Hamilton, who has been playing the lead in "Sauce for the Goose" on tour in England, has resigned from the cast. T V ▼ Michael S. Mill, literary agent of New York, in conjunction with the Bill & Sabel Dunn Agency of Beverly Hills, last year has sold 14 stories for motion picture production. They included four by Rob Eden, three by Vida Hurst, one by Priscilla Wayne, four by Alma Sioux Scarberry and two by Joseph McCord.