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By JANET HAYES
Twentieth Century-Fox, long a leader in the musical field, promises to surpass itself. William Le Baron, the studio's outstanding musical producer, made an interesting point. "Not only does the public want to find temporary relaxation from the worries of war, but the boys in the armed forces want musicals for their entertainment."
With that in mind, Fox signed up thirty of Broadway's most talented singers, dancers and show-girls, the largest number of girls ever given a mass contract.
By far the studio going all-out to enlist music for the duration is Warner Brothers, who are planning, among other things, a whoopla musical called Thank Your Lucky Stars involving everyone on the lot including— hold your breath — Bette Davis! When the queen of the dramas temporarily
abandons the hankie to do some singing and hoofing (she's taking lessons), then you know that there's music, loud and violent, in the Hollywood air.
Players who can sing and dance, as well as act, are as precious as a new tire and are assured of lusty careers for the duration. That's why hotcha Betty Hutton, "The Incendiary Blonde," was recently rated by Paramount as its most outstanding new star. The studio believes she will make more money for them than some of their bigger stars, who are not hep to the jive. Janet Blair's meteoric rise was aided by the fact that she was once Hal Kemp's vocalist and is a natural for musicals. Actresses like Ginger Rogers, Rita Hayworth and Joan Leslie, who are as strong in the music department as they are in the dramatics, can write their own tickets. Even Dick Powell was brought out of retirement and handed a fat contract by Paramount because he's in the groove.
At Columbia Studios the musical activi
ties are rolling in high. Cole Porter is there writing tunes that will have movie fans stomping in the aisles when they hear, as well as see, Something To Shout About, Pal Joey and Leave It to Me. Porter, who specializes in dreamy, sophisticated numbers, has changed his style. "No more torch tunes," he says. "I'm concentrating on melodies that are gay and lively. That's what we need during grim war days."
Columbia is even going the whole hog by having an entire picture built around as many bands as they can possibly get. It's called Reveille for Beverly and it's based on an early-morning radio program for service men. So far Bob Crosby, the Mills Brothers, the Radio Rogues, Freddie Martin, Ozzie Nelson, Count Basie and Duke Ellington have been hired for this one picture alone.
There's no priority on music, so Hollywood has hopped on the band wagon and enlisted this million-dollar morale booster for the duration. ■
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JANUARY, 1943