The Film Daily (1936)

THE ■c&Zl DAILV Friday, Sept. 18,1936 A "JUttU" £wn Hollywood "Ms // Bj RALPH WILK PRODUCTION on "Sam Houston. Pioneer" has been deferred by George Hirliman, and in its stead "Park Avenue Logger" will start the last week in September, with George O'Brien starred. The picture will be released by RKO Radio. Mervyn LeRoy's First as Producer a producer, for release by Warners will be will go into production within a fortnight. "The Grand Passion." It will star Ferdinand Mervyn LeRoy's first screen offering as "The King and the Chorus Girl," which This is the picture previously announced as Gravet. Allan Vaughn Elston, magazine writer, and Marion Orth have been assigned to the screen treatment of Gene Stratton Porter's novel, "Michael O'Halloran." which Republic will produce. Lon Young has joined Republic as story supervisor, his first assignment being "Legion of the Damned," by Robert Du Soe. ▼ T ▼ John F. Meehan. general manager of the Talisman Studios, has completed the redecorating of all the offices in the administration building, and has now started on the back lot. E. B. Derr of Crescent Pictures is preparing the script on "Drums of Destiny," his third of the Tom Keene series, to be produced at Talisman in about two weeks. Maurice Conn is expected to return from New York in a few days, at which time he will immediately start production on "Wild Horse Roundup," starring Kermit Maynard. It will be made on the Talisman lot, and is to be directed by Allan James. » T T Robert Emmett Keane has been added to the cast of Republic's "The President's Mystery." V T T Supporting Bob Steele in "The Gun Ranger," his second western for Republic release, will be Eleanor Stewart, John Merton, Ernie Adams, Earl Dwire, Charles French, Lew Meehan, Bud Buster, Wally Wales and Horace Murphy. » » V Mona Barrie has been assigned to the role previously assigned by First National to Frieda Inescort in "Mountain Justice," now in production with Josephine Hutchinson and George Brent. The change is the result of the fact that it has been decided to put "Another Dawn" into production next week, with Miss Inescort playing one of the most important parts in that picture in support of Kay Francis, Errol Flynn and Ian Hunter. "Another Dawn" will be directed by William Dieterle. RKO Radio has teamed Margot Grahame and Vinton Haworth for "Night Waitress," to be directed by Lew Landers (formerly known as Louis Friedlander). The same studio has assigned Patricia Wilder, Alan Curtis and Dot Farley to "General Delivery." T T T Columbia has added Henry Kolker and William Benedict to "Theodora Goes Wild," and Albert J. Smith, Arthur Loft and Edward Keane to "Legion of Terror." ▼ T T Mary Maguire, Australian screen star who arrived in California ten days ago, has been signed by Warners to a long-term contract. T T T Ellery Queen's "The Chinese Orange Mystery" has been placed in the hands of Cortlandt Fitzsimmons and Herman Ruby, who will provide the screen treatment of the novel which Republic will produce. ▼ ▼ ▼ "The French Quarter," by Herbert Asbury, was purchased by MG-M and will be given a production as important as the company's re1 cent "San Francisco." Alfred Knopf | will publish "The French Quarter" this fall. » T ▼ Irene Franklin, Patricia Wilder, Alan Curtis and Dot Farley have been signed for roles in "General Delivery," RKO Radio production which Edward Killy is directing and Cliff Reid producing. Gloria Stuart and Lee Tracy are costarred. T ▼ T Charles Quigley, screen and stage actor, has been given the male lead opposite Mary Astor for Ben Grauman Kohn's story, "Lady from Nowhere," on which screening will shortly be started at Columbia under the direction of Gordon Wiles. » T T With the assignment of Peter Lorre and Brian Donlevy to leading roles, the cast of "Crack-Up" is taking shape at 20th CenturyFox. Mai St. Clair will direct from a screen play by Sam Mintz. Original story is by John F. Goodrich. ▼ T » William Faulkner, novelist now on the writing staff at 20th Century-Fox, is writing the screen play for "The Splinter Fleet." V ▼ T The 13-year-old actress Marcia Mae Jones, who scored quite a hit recently in "These Three," has been signed by First National for "Moun Million," 20th Century-Fox musical, introducing Sonja Henie to the screen. Y T T Helen Lynd, Broadway musical star, has been signed to play a leading role in "Hats Off" by Grand National. Robert Randall, another stage star, has been recruited for the male lead opposite Mae Clarke Others in the cast include Richard "Skeets" Gallagher and Florence Lake. Gordon Kahn, formerly a member of the editorial staff of the New York Mirror, has signed a term contract as writer at Republic. He will work on the screen treatment of "The Gangs of New York," Herbert Asbury 's novel. ▼ Y T William A. Seiter, has been assigned by 20th Century-Fox to direct Shirley Temple's next picture, "The Stowaway." T T T Frances Drake has been placed under contract by 20th CenturyFox. ▼ T T Director John Blystone, while motoring through the east on his first vacation in 17 years of film activity, signed up Gloria Marshall, 18-year-old Federal Theater actress, to a personal contract and is sending her to California with the intention of giving the young lady her first screen role in his next production. Miss Marshall attracted the director's attention when he and his wife attended a production of "Seventh Heaven" in Boston. tain Justice. » T T Una Merlrel has been assigned a leading comedy role in "One in a Definite plans to establish a training school for about 40 young contract players have been set by President Nat Levine of Republic. Ned Dobson, studio talent scout, will have charge of the venture. T T T Mrs. Jack Weiner of Hollywood, joined Mr. and Mrs. Joe E. Brown in Chicago, and travelled West with them. ▼ T T Joe Lehman of New York, onetime owner of the old Lyric in New Orleans, but now in the textile business, is visiting in Hollywood. T T T The west-bound "Chief" last Saturday resembled a 20th CenturyFox special. Aboard were Norman Taurog, Joe Moskowitz, Jack Mintz and Jack Leonard returning from Callender, Ontario, where Taurog has been directing five stars — the Dionne Quintuplets— in "Reunion." Other 20th Century-Fox passengers were E. I. Sponable, of the technical research department, and Franklin S. Irby, of the legal department. T ▼ T Universal has signed Arthur Caesar to write the screen play of "London Bridge is Falling Down," an original by Mary and W. E. Flannery. ▼ T T Screen rights to "Heidi," novel by Johanna Spyri, have been purchased by Darryl F. Zanuck for 20th Century-Fox. ▼ T ▼ Our Passing Show: Norman Taurog being interviewed at Kansas City by a local reporter; Clay Clement of "The Reflected Glory" company, changing trains in Chicago, for New York; Joe E. Brown's dog, "Winchie," bought in England, and Franklin S. Irby's "Bos'n" attracting much attention at various stations. Paramount's six juvenile stars, all under contract to the studio, are slated to appear shortly in a story now ready for early screening: "Our Miss Keane," by Grace Sartwell Mason, Saturday Evening Post writer. The youngsters are Virginia Weidler, Bennie Bartlett, Ra Hould, Billy Lee, Jackie Moran and David Holt. Jack Cunningham will produce. ▼ T T John Gallaudet, Gene Morgan and Arthur Rankin, Columbia contract players, have been assigned to "Come Closer Folks." Y Y Y Douglas Scott, 10-year-old actor, has been given a long-term contract by 20th CenturyFox as a result of h;s work in early scenes of "Lloyds of London," now in production. Douglas and Freddie Bartholomew shared several scenes in the openingsequences. Tyrone Power, Jr., Virginia Field and Sir Guy Standing are among those in leading roles. T T T "The Garden of Allah," Selznick International technicolor production, co-starring Marlene Dietrich and Charles Boyer, has passed through the final stages of editing, and will be ready for release by United Artists within the next three weeks. The supporting cast includes Basil Rathbone, C. Aubrey Smith, Joseph Schildkraut, Tilly Losch and others. Richard Boleslawski was the director. T T T When "The Chief" stopped at Fort Madison, la., Joe E. Brown greeted a boy standing on the station platform. As the train pulled out, the boy shouted to the star, "See you in the movies."