Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1938)

34 MOTION PICTURE HERALD May 14, 1938 NINE PRODUCERS BUY 37 STORIES, MOSTLY ORIGINALS, IN A MONTH MGM Leads with 13 Purchases, Three of Them Plays, and Three "Tarzan" Stories Purchased from Sol Lesser The drafting of plans for the approaching 1938-'39 season continued as the main order of business among producing companies during April with one of the most important phases of the preparatory work being the acquisition of 37 story properties. Nine producers made the purchases which numbered 12 more than in the previous month and seven less than in April, 1937. As in 11 of the 12 previous months, April buyers concentrated on original material. They acquired 25 original stories, or 67 per cent of the total, as against six magazine pieces, three plays, two novels and one newspaper comic strip. MGM Buys 13 By far the most prolific buyer was MetroGoldwyn-Mayer which took the motion picture rights to 13 properties — eight originals, three plays, one novel and one magazine story. Universal by acquiring five originals, and Paramount by taking title to four originals and one comic strip, shared second position as the month's heaviest buyers. Other purchasers and the types of material they acquired were Twentieth Century-Fox, three originals ; Warner Brothers, one novel ; Principal Productions, two originals ; RKO Radio, two originals and one magazine story; Monogram, four magazine stories, and Republic, one original. Included among the MGM properties were three Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Tarzan" stories, purchased from Sol Lesser, head of Principal Productions. Mr. Lesser had expected to make the pictures himself, but abandoned the plan when he was unable to obtain Johnny Weismuller, who has appeared in previous Tarzan productions, for the title role. Three Plays Bought Although there were numerous reports of film companies dickering with stage producers for the motion picture rights to several current Broadway hits, the only announced play purchases were those made by MGM. The three acquired by this company were "The Devil With Love," which will be based upon Noel Coward's "Private Lives"; "The Rosary," by Edward E. Rose, and "The House of Glass," by Marcin. Paramount turned from the usual sources for one of its properties, "Little Orphan Annie, Detective." This film will be based upon Harold Gray's newspaper feature, "Little Orphan Annie." In the magazine field, Collier's, a weekly magazine, proved the most fertile source of supply, five of the six purchases being serials which appeared in this publication. The 37 purchases, with all available production credits, follow: Air Raid, original by Franz Schultz and Kurt Siodmak, purchased by Paramount. Behind the Eight Ball, original by Ken Englund and Monte Brice, purchased by Paramount. Boy Scout Story, The, original by Irving Crump, purchased by Universal. Bundle of Joy. A, original, by Hilda Stone and Betty Reinhardt, purchased by Twentieth Century-Fox. STORY PURCHASES OF YEAR COMPARED Month 0 riginals Books Plays Totals May, 1937 42 10(a) 9 61 June 28 8(b) ! 37 July 21 5(c) 0 26 August 27 6(d) 12 45 September 24 43(e) 1 68 October 22 16(f) 3 41 November 24 17(g) 7* 48 December 38 11(h) 5 54 January, 1938 24 8(i) 3 35 February 28 lO(i) 0 38 March 14 9(k) 2 25 April 25 9(1) 3 37 TOTALS FOR 12 MONTHS 317 I52(m) 46 515 (a) Including 4 published magazine stories. (b) Including 7 published magazine stories. (c) Including I published magazine story and 2 radio serials. (d) Including 2 published magazine stories. (e) Including 29 published magazine stories. (f) Including 6 published magazine stories. (g) Including 8 published magazine stories. (h) Including 4 published magazine stories. (i) Including I published magazine story. ( j) Including I published magazine story, (k) Including 3 published magazine stories. (I) Including 6 published magazine stories and I comic strip, (m) Including 75 published magazine stories. ""Including the American rights to one German film. Castle Sinister, Collier's magazine serial, by J. P. Marquard, purchased by MGM. Changeling, The, novel by Donn Byrne, purchased by Warner Brothers to star Kay Francis. Bryan Foy will produce. Charlie Chan in Vaudeville, original by Gregory Ratoff, bought by Twentieth Century-Fox. Dancing Co-Ed, novel by Albert Treynor, acquired by MGM as a starring vehicle for Eleanor Powell. Devil With Love, The, based on Noel Coward's play, "Private Lives," acquired by MGM as a vehicle for Fernand Gravet. Mervyn LeRoy will produce. Eilis Island, also known as Antetoom to Paradise, original by Walter Reisch, bought by Twentieth Century-Fox. Taylor Starring Vehicle Give and Take, original by George Bruze, Harry Ruskin, Tom Lennon and George Oppenheimer, purchased by MGM as a starring vehicle for Robert Taylor. Sam Zimbalist will produce and Richard Thorpe will direct. Maureen O' Sullivan, Frank Morgan, Guy Kibbee and Nat Pendleton will be in the supporting cast. Hold That Kiss, original by Stanley Rauh, bought by MGM. House of Glass, The, play by Marcin, purchased by MGM. Hundred to One, A, original by Pauline London and Alfred Taylor, purchased by MGM. Keep Moving, original by Fritz Falkensteit? and Wilbur Morse, acquired by Principal Productions as a starring vehicle for Bobby Breen. Release will be through RKO. Knights of the Roundtable, original by Talbot Jennings, purchased by Paramount. Albert Lewis will produce and Henry Hathaway will direct. Little Orphan Annie, Detective, based on the comic strip by Harold Gray, acquired by Paramount. Sam Ornitz will prepare the screenplay and John Speaks will produce. Lord of the Panamint, original by Lindsley Parsons, purchased by Principal Productions as a starring vehicle for Smith Ballew. Luci Ward, Charles Arthur Powell and Edmond Kelso will do the screenplay. Release will be through Twentieth Century-Fox. Memory of Love, novel by Bessie Breuer, purchased by RKO as a vehicle for Irene Dunne. Hagar Wilde and Dudley Nichols will do the screenplay. George Haight will produce. Menial Star, original by Charles Hoffman, purchased by RKO as a vehicle for Lucille Ball. Lou Lusty will produce and Paul Yawitz will write the script. Milady Goes Along, original by James Edward Grant, purchased by MGM. Wong Stories Mr. Wong at Headquarters. Collier's magazine story, purchased by Monogram. Mr. Wong, Detective, Collier's magazine story, purchased by Monogram. Mr. Wong in Chinatown, Collier's Magazine story, purchased by Monogram. Mother Carey's Chickens, magazine serial and book by Kate Douglas Wiggin, purchased by RKO as a vehicle for Joan Bennett and Anne Shirley. Pandro S. Berman produce. Mystery of Mr. Wong, The, Collier's magazine story, purchased by Monogram. No One Man, original by William A. Pierce, acquired by Universal. Mr. Pierce, assistant to Charles R. Rogers, executive vice-president of Universal, will be associate producer. Ol' Man River, original by Oscar Hammerstein II and H. S. Kraft, acquired by MGM. Rosary, The, play by Edward E. Rose, bought by MGM. SOS, original by Charles Martin and Hugh King, purchased by Universal. Tarzan, the original stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs, purchased by MGM from Sol Lesser of Principal Productions. That Certain Age, original by Aleen Wetstein, purchased by Universal as a starring vehicle for Deanna Durbin. Three Smart Girls Leave Town, original by Phil Epstein, purchased by Universal. Two on the Aisle, original by Maruine Hanline and Jerry O'Connor, purchased by Republic. Ltnion Pacific, original by Jack Cunningham and Jesse Lasky, Jr., purchased by Paramount for a Cecil B. DeMille production. Goetz Joins Monogram Howard Goetz, for two years in the advertising sales department of Twentieth Century-Fox Des Moines branch, has resigned to take charge of advertising sales at the Monogram exchange there. Don Nelson, treasurer of Monogram there, has become chief accountant and auditor for the Monogram exchanges in Des Moines and Omaha. Sidney M. Robards, for the last year and a half a member of the publicity department of the National Broadcasting Company, has joined the Department of Information of the Radio Corporation of America.