Motion Picture Herald (Sep-Oct 1936)

September 12, 1936 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 61 15 HOLLYWOOD PRODUCERS BUY 73 STORIES FOR 1936-37 PRODUCTION Purchase Rate Rebounds from July Level; Over Half of Manuscripts Acquired Are Originals; List Is Given Although plans for 1936-37 are practically completed at every major studio in California, production forces in Hollywood and home offices in New York still are making final purchases of stories, buying 73 properties in August. April and May purchases rose to a high level when some 327 manuscripts were acquired ; in June, the purchases numbered 48. The month of July showed a marked decrease, only 32 properties having been acquired by the combined studios. Of this total, 20 were original stories, seven were taken from magazines and five were published novels. It is noted that the Broadway stage, deep source of material during the past fall and winter, is conspicuous by its absence at this period. The month of August, however, showed an increase in stories purchased. Of the 73 bought, 43 were original stories, mostly from the pens of Hollywood contract writers; 20 were published novels, and five were stories published in leading magazines. The Broadway legitimate theatre managed to dispose of five offerings to the Hollywood cameras, all past successes, however. Paramount, during August, led the other producing companies in the number of purchases, buying three novels and nine original offerings. Warner Brothers followed, with three novels and eight original stories, and 20th Century-Fox was close behind, buying seven original stories, one magazine story and two novels for a total of 10 purchases. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was next with two plays that were given on Broadway in recent seasons, and five novels. Grand National, recently organized and ready to launch its first season, bought three originals, one magazine story and two novels. Radio bought the largest number of plays, five in all, and also one original. Universal purchased three novels and one original. Other screen material was acquired by Walter Wanger, in the form of two novels ; Imperial Productions, two novels ; First National, two originals ; Selznick-International, one original; Major Productions, one novel; Carl Laemmle, Jr., one original ; Fanchon Royer, one original, and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., one original. Published novels seem to attract the motion picture producer more this month than in some time, but publishers this season are enjoying an unusual number of books that have caught the public's fancy and have climbed into the best-seller bracket, and this, undoubtedly, influenced the producers in making their purchases. Titles of the 73 original stories, magazine yarns and novels bought by Hollywood producers for their commitments of the 1936-37 BEST SELLERS AND RENTERS In the following listings of comparative standings of works of fiction in popularity as reflected by sales, the ranking of the "ten best sellers" is based upon a count of sales of the Baker (3 Taylor Company, New York. The "ten best renters" were named on a basis of nationwide reports to "The Retail Bookseller," house organ of the company. Best Sellers ( June 15 to July 1 3 J Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell. Sanfelice, by Vincent Sheean. Mother of the Bride, by Alice Grant Rosman. Give Me One Summer, by Emilie Loring. The Doctor, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Halfway House, by Ellery Queen. Mystery Flowers, by Grace L. Hill. Sparkenbroke, by Charles Morgan. Eyeless in Gaza, by Aldous Huxley. The Corpse with the Dirty Face, by R. A. J. Walling. Best Renters (Month of July) Sparkenbroke, by Charles Morgan. The Weather in the Streets, by Rosamond Lehmann. The Doctor, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. The Last Puritan, by George Santayana. The Thinking Reed, by Rebecca West. If I Have Four Apples, by Josephine Lawrence. Clansmen, by Ethel Boileau. Private Duty, by Faith Baldwin. Give Me One Summer, by Emilie Loring. Jamaica Inn, by Daphne du Maurier. season, together with all available filming credits, are as follows: ABYSMAL BRUTE, novel by Jack London acquired by Universal for production by Trem Carr, starring John Wayne. BEYOND THE SOUND OF THE MACHINE GUNS, original magazine story by Llewellyn Hughes, published in Century Magazine. Bought by Paramount as a tentative vehicle for George Raft, Fred McMurray, Carey Grant and Randolph Scott. Production by William LeBaron. BUT IT'S MY TOWN, original story by Milt Gross and Charles Sherman, acquired by 20th Century-Fox. CALL ME ARIZONA, acquired by Grand Na Paramount Leading in Number of Purchases; Twenty Novels Bought; Broadway's Stage Supplies Five Properties tional for production by Edward Finney, starring Tex Ritter. Direction by John P. McCarthy. CAREER WOMAN, original by Gene Fowler, bought by 20th Century-Fox to star Claire Trevor. Direction will be by Lewis Seiler. COME CLOSER FOLKS, story of sidewalk pitchmen by Aben Kandel, purchased by Columbia to star James Dunn. Harry Lachman will direct. CRACK UP, novelette by John F. Goodrich dealing with a trans-oceanic flight that appeared in the American Magazine, acquired by 20th Century-Fox. CRIME WOMAN, original by Norman Burnstine, acquired by Paramount. CRIMINAL LAWYER, original story by Thomas Lennon, bought by RKO Radio to star Walter Abel. Cliff Reid will produce. CROSS COUNTRY, original story by Fred Knudsten, purchased by Paramount. DEAD YESTERDAY, novel by Mignon Eberhardt, acquired by 20th Century-Fox. DEPTHS BELOW, original story by Norman Springer, acquired by Columbia to star Dolores Del Rio with Richard Dix and Chester Morris. Erie Kenton will direct. FACE THE FACTS, Clarence Budington Kelland's current American Magazine story, acquired by Grand National for production by Douglas McLean. James Cagney tentatively listed for the leading role. FIRST LADY, Broadway stage success by George S. Kaufman and Katherine Dayton, purchased by MGM. THE FOUR MARYS, novel by Fanny Heaslip' Lea, acquired by MGM. FOUNDRY, novel by Albert Halper, acquired by MGM to star Wallace Beery and Spencer Tracy. Hunt Stromberg will produce. FUGITIVE FOR JUSTICE, original story by W. T. Ballard, purchased by Grand National. GREAT LOVE, play by Ferenc Molnar, bought by MGM. William Powell and Myrna Loy will be starred. HIGH, WIDE AND HANDSOME, musical drama by Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern, acquired by Paramount to star Irene Dunne. Arthur Hornblow, Jr., will produce. I HATE HORSES, original story by Finley Peter Dunne and Philip Dunne, bought by Universal. IN HIS STEPS, novel by Charles Monroe Sheldon, bought by Grand National to star Cecilia Parker and Eric Linden. IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD, original story by William A. Wellman and Robert Carson, bought by Selznick-International. Merle Oberon scheduled for the leading role. KID GALAHAD, novel published in the Saturday Evening Post, by Francis Wallace, bought by Warners to star Edward G. Robinson and Ross Alexander. KING OF SWING, magazine story by Richard Macauley published as "Special Arrangements," bought by Warner. LAST BAD MAN, original story by Marion Jackson, acquired by Warner to star Dick Foran. THE MAN I MARRIED, novel by M. Coates Webster, purchased by Universal. MEN IN EXILE, original story by Houston Branch and Marie Baumer, bought by First National. Humphrey Bogart and Margaret Lindsay will be co-starred. MERCHANT OF VENUS, original story by H. C. Witwer, Jr., acquired by Warner to co-star Marie Wilson and Carol Hughes. MIDNIGHT JUSTICE, original story by Don (.Continued on following t'aqe)