Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1937)

July 10, 1937 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 13 61 STORIES PURCHASED FOR FUTURE PRODUCTION Hollywood Producers Buying Additional Properties to Round Out Uncompleted Schedules for the New Season As the last of the producing and distributing organizations finished their annual sales conventions and announced a large number of releases for the coming season, their Hollywood producers are buying additional stories for release in 1937-'38. Some 19 producers bought 61 properties in May, with Sol Lesser, head of Principal Productions, leading with a total of 20 purchases. Nineteen of these were original stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who is also the author of the Tarzan stories, and the other will be used to star Bobby Breen. Metro-Soldwyn-Mayer made six purchases and Twentieth Century-Fox and Radio each bought five. A breakdown of the source of supply shows that, besides Mr. Lesser's 19 original stories and one book, MGM took two originals, two books and two plays ; Radio, four originals, one play ; Monogram, three originals ; Warners, one original and two plays ; Grand National, two originals and one book; B. P. Schulberg, two originals ; Paramount, two originals ; Samuel Goldwyn, one original and one play ; General Pictures, one original and one book; John Ford, one book; Leo McCarey, one book ; Crescent Pictures, one book ; SelznickInternational, one original ; Republic, one original; Universal, one play; Major Productions, one book, and Walt Disney, one novel. The purchase by Mr. Lesser of the Edgar Rice Burroughs works was first announced a month ago when the producer secured an option on a large list of the author's stories. No titles were announced at the time, however, and it was only last week that Mr. Lesser made his selections. No announcement has been made as to which distributor will handle the film versions but it is expected that either Twentieth Century-Fox, or Radio, through which Mr. Lesser now distributes, will release. Derr Buys 17 Properties The purchases in May by E. B. Derr, head of Crescent Pictures, totaled 17 properties in all from Major R. T. M. Scott. The novels and stories included in the deal all have to do with the character, "Secret Service Smith," who will be the leading character, as well, in the six features Mr. Derr hopes to produce with the detective, Aurelius Smith, as the leading character. It was reported that Mr. Derr paid $60,000 for the stories. Radio also attracted considerable attention with the official announcement of its purchase of the current Broadway legitimate play, "Room Service." Warner Brothers, through its affiliation with producer George Abbott, had a financial interest in the show and entered bids for the motion picture rights as well. Radio, however, topped all bids with an offer of $255,000. This price was reputed to be the highest ever paid for the screen rights to a play, with the exception of Anne Nichols' "Abie's Irish Rose," for which Paramount paid a reported $300,000. The titles of the 61 original stories, magazine yarns, books and plays bought by Hollywood YEAR'S COMPARISON OF STORY PURCHASES Month Originals Books Plays Total June 25 21 5 51 July 20 12 g) 0 32 August 43 25 h) 5 73 September . . 40 32 i) 2 74 October .... 38 22 10 70 November 34 16 1 9 59 December 31 12 1) 3 46 January, 1937 . . 55 23 m) 15 93 February .... 42 17 ") 9 68 March 42 16 o) 5 63 April 25 1 1 P) 8 44 May 42 10 q) 9 61 TOTALS FOR 12 MONTHS . .437 2l7(r ) 80 734 (e) Inc tiding 19 published magazine stories. (f) Inc uding 21 published magazine stories. (g) Inc uding 63 published magazine stories. (h) Inc uding 5 published magazine stories. (i) Inc uding 7 published magazine stories. (i) Inc uding 7 published magazine stories. (k) Inc uding 5 published magazine stories. (1) Inc uding 5 published magazine stories. (m) Inc uding 7 published magazine stories. (n) Inc uding 5 published magazine stories. (°) Inc uding 3 published magazine stories. (p) Incl uding 1 published magazine story. (q) Inc uding 4 published magazine stories. H Inc uding 152 published magazine stories. producers during May, principally for 1937-'38 release, together with all available production credits, is as follows : Accidents Will Happen, original story by George Auberbach, bought by B. P. Schulberg for release through Paramount. And Then Came Spring, musical original by Angela Sherwood and Rudolf Friml, bought by Paramount to star Bing Crosby opposite Franciska Gaal. Apache Devil, The, original by Edgar Rice Burroughs, bought by Sol Lesser, head of Principal Productions. At the Earth's Core, original by Edgar Rice Burroughs, bought by Sol Lesser, head of Principal Productions. Atlantic Flight, original story by Dick Grace, stunt flyer, bought by Monogram. Dick Merrill, trans-Atlantic flyer, will have a featured role in the picture. Baby Face, magazine story by George Bruce, bought by MGM. Bamby, novel by Felix Salter in which the chief character is a deer, purchased by Walt Disney for production in color as a featurelength cartoon. Bandit of Hell's Bend, The, original story by Edgar Rice Burroughs, bought by Sol Lesser, head of Principal Productions. Beware, original storv by Edgar Rice Burroughs, bought by Sol Lesser, executive of Principal Productions. Big City, original bv Norman Krasna, bought by MGM to star Spencer Tracy and Luise Rainer. Bonanza, original story by director Rowland Brown, bought by Monogram as a starring vehicle for Jackie Cooper. Bread, Butter and Rhythm, original story by Milton Sperling and Boris Ingster, bought by Twentieth Century-Fox to star Sonja Henie. Call Back Love, novel by Rose Franken and William Brown Meloney, bought by Emanuel Cohen as a starring vehicle for the child player, Kitty Clancy. Release will be through Columbia. Cave Girl, The, original story by Edgar Rice Burroughs, bought by Sol Lesser, head of Principal Productions. Damsel in Distress, original story by Morris Ryskind, bought by Radio to star Fred Astaire. The musical score will be written by George and Ira Gershwin. D uchess of Broadway, original story by Barry Trivers and Robert Andrews, bought by Samuel Goldwyn for release through United Artists. Efficiency Expert, The, original story by Edgar Rice Burroughs, bought by Sol Lesser, head of Principal Productions. Eternal Lover, The, original story by Edgar Rice Burroughs, bought by Sol Lesser, of Principal Productions. Excursion, current Broadway play, by Victor Wolf son, bought by MGM. Ex-Hero, original story by George Auberbach, bought by B. P. Schulberg for release through Paramount. Face the Facts, magazine story by Clarence Budington Kelland, bought by Grand National to star Stuart Erwin. Richard A. Rowland will produce. Fight for Your Lady, original story by Jean Negulesco and Isabel Leighton, bought by Radio to star Herbert Marshall. T^rk Oakie and Margot Grahame will also have featured roles. Ben Stoloff will direct. Finger of Fame, original story by Edward R. Sammis and Frederick James Smith, bought by Warners. Follow the Sun, original story bought by Twentieth Century-Fox to star Annabella with Romney Brent and Paul Lukas. The picture will be made in England. George and Margaret, current London play, bought by Warners. Girl from Farris's, original story by Edgar Rice Burroughs, bought by Sol Lesser, head of Principal Productions. Originals by Burroughs Girl From Hollywood, original story by Edgar Rice Burroughs, bought by Sol Lesser, head of Principal Productions. Gorgeous, original story by Arthur Caesar, bought by Grand National to star Anna Sten. Half Gods, unproduced play by Sidney Howard, bought by Universal. Hell on Wheels, magazine story published in the Saturday Evening Post, written by Thornton Martin, bought by MGM. H.R.H., The Rider, original story by Edgar Rice Burroughs, bought by Sol Lesser, head of Principal Productions. I'd Give a Million, play produced in Italy, written by G. Savattini and George Mondaini bought by Twentieth Century-Fox. Joe and Josette, play by George Fraser, German playwright, bought bv Twentieth Century-Fox as a vehicle for Simone Simon. Jungle Girl, original story by Edgar Rice Burroughs, bought by Sol Lesser, head of Principal Productions. Katzenmusik, European best-selling novel by Rene Fulop Miller, bought by Sol Lesser to star Bobby Breen. Release will be through Radio Land That Time Forgot, original story by (Continued on following facie)