Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1938)

16 MOTION PICTURE HERALD December 17, 1938 59 STORIES AND PLAYS BOUGHT IN NOVEMBER BY 12 PRODUCERS MGM Purchases 20 Properties To Lead Other Buyers; Paramount Acquires Screen Rights to "The Cat and the Canary" Keeping up the pace established in the three months prior to November, 12 Hollywood producing companies last month acquired a total of 59 story properties. Topping all other buyers was Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which bought five originals, a novel, two plays, and 12 magazine stories for a total of 20 properties. Second on the list was Universal, with 11 purchases, of which nine were originals and two novels. Warner Brothers ranked third, with purchases fairly evenly distributed among three plays, 2 originals, a novel and a magazine story. As in the preceding three nnonths, originals nnade up the basic source of supply, with a total of 34, or 58 per cent of the total, as against 13 magazine stories, 6 novels, and an equal number of plays. Among the outstanding acquisitions were Paramount's purchase of "The Cat and the Canary," famous play, screen rights to which were bought from Universal ; MGM's purchase of eight magazine stories by W. S. Tuttle, called the "Henry" stories, and Warners' purchase of "All This and Heaven, Too," outstanding contemporary novel, and "Elizabeth the Queen," famous stage play by Maxwell Anderson, both for Bette Davis. November Purchases After Frankenstein, original by Willis O. Cooper, purchased by Universal. All This and Heaven, Too, novel by Rachel Field, purchased by Warner Brothers for Bette Davis. Anything For A Pal, original by Leonard Spigelglass, purchased by Universal. Baltimore Bubble, original by Charles Grayson, purchased by Universal. Barber of New Orleans, play by Edward Childs Carpenter, purchased by Warner Brothers for Errol Flynn. Broadway Serenade, originally titled "Today is Tomorrow" ; original by Charles Lederer, purchased by MGM for Jeanette MacDonald. Also cast are Lew Ayres, Walter Pidgeon and Frank Morgan. Robert Z. Leonard will direct. Bull by the Horns, original by Charles Bonner, purchased by Universal. Calling All Marines, original by William Ullman, Jr., purchased by Republic. Cat and the Canary, Willard, screen rights mount from Universal, Martha Raye. DuLCY, play by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly, purchased by MGM. Elizabeth The Queen, play by Maxwell Anderson, purchased by Warner Brothers for Bette Davis and Errol Flynn. Footsteps in the Dark, London play by Bernard Merivale and Jeffery Bell, purchased by Warner Brothers. Girls of the Road, original by Sammy Fuller, purchased by Republic. Good Girls Go To Paris, original screenplay to be written by Gladys Lehman, Isabel Dawn, and Bovce de Gaw, for Columbia. THE, play by John purchased by Parafor Bob Hope and STORY PURCHASES OF YEAR COMPARED Month Originals Books Plays Totals December, 1937 38 11(a) 5 54 January, 1938 24 8(b) 3 35 February 28 10(c) 0 38 March 14 9(d) 2 25 April 25 9(e) 3 37 May 23 13 0 36 June 24 32(f) 3 59 July 1 1 5 2 18 August 44 43(g) 6 93 September 39 10(h) 2 5! October 23 28(1) 1 52 November 34 I9(i) 6 59 TOTALS FOR 12 MONTHS 327 I97(k) 33 557 a) Inc uding b) Incl uding c) IncI uding d) Inc uding e) Inc uding f) Inc uding g) Inc uding h) Inc uding i) Inc uding i) Inc uding k) Inc uding 4 published magazine stories. I published magazine story. I published magazine story. 3 published magazine stories. 6 published magazine stories I comic strip. 3 published magazine stories. 5 published magazine stories 1 newspaper serial. 2 published magazine stories 1 newspaper comic strip. 4 published magazine stories. 13 published magazine stories. 42 published magazine stories, 2 comic strips and I newspaper serial. and and and Grand Jury Secrets, original by Maxwell Shane, purchased by Paramount. Hell's Kitchen To Hollywood, original by Vincent Sherman, purchased by Warner Brothers for the "Dead End" kids, with Humphrey Bogart, Gale Page, Stanley Fields and Frankie Burke. MGM Buys Series Henry, a series of eight short stories by W. S. Tuttle, published originally in Argosy magazine, purchased by MGM. Holy Terror, The, magazine story by George Carleton Brown, purchased by Warner Brothers for Wayne Morris. I Asked For It, original by Roy Gardner and J. C. Bruce, purchased by Universal. Knight in Ghost Town, A, original by Charles Francis Royal, purchased by RKO. Lady Comes to Burkburnett, A, original by James Edward Grant, purchased by MGM. Life of Alexander Graham Bell, original by Ray Harris, purchased by Twentieth Century-Fox for Loretta Young and Don Ameche. A Kenneth MacGowan production. Irving Cummings will direct. Life of Paul Ehrlich, The, original idea by Dr. Maurice S. Rosen, purchased by Collective Film Producers, Inc. Madame Pompadour, musical comedy, English version by Frederic Lonsdale and Harry Graham, German version by Rudolph Schanzer and Ernst Welisch, adapted by Clare Kummer, purchased by MGM. Modern Cinderella, novel by James Kane, purchased by Universal. Moon Over Burma, unpublished novel by Wilson Collison, purchased by Paramount for George Raft, Dorothy Lamour and Fred MacMurray. Murder in the Surgery, novel by Dr. James Edward, purchased by Universal. My People, Cosmopolitan magazine story by Max Brand, purchased by MGM. Nickel Show, The, original by Vera Caspary, purchased by MGM. Parade Is Over, The, original by Richard Macauley and Jerry Wald, to be a sequel to "Brother Rat," also written by Mr. Macauley and Mr. Wald. Purchased by Warner Brothers for the same cast as appeared in "Brother Rat." Parole, tentative title for original by John Krafft, purchased by Monogram for produc Penny Cross, original by Rowland Brown, purchased by MGM. Power To Burn, screen play by Michael Simmons, based on the story by Jack London, purchased by Columbia for Charles Bickford and Jean Parker. Prison Surgeon, original by William Ullman, Jr., purchased by Columbia. RozsA Sandor, novel by Robert Neumann, purchased by MGM for Miliza Kor'jus. Salute To The Gods, short story by Sir Malcolm Campbell, originally published in the London Sunday Pictorial Magazine, purchased by MGM. Scow Gun Marriage, Saturday Evening Post story by John W. Thomason, Jr., purchased by MGM. Shooting High, no writing credits yet ; musical film to be produced by Sol Wurtzel for Twentieth Century-Fox early in January. Tony Martin, Joan Davis and Marjorie Weaver have been cast. Singing Revolt, The, original by David Weissman, purchased by Tri-Art Film Productions. Scotland Yard Story Skids, original by Milton Merlin, purchased by MGM for Dennis O'Keefe and Cecelia Parker. Harry Rapf will produce and Edward Sedgwick will direct. Sundown on the Prairie, original by John Rathmell, purchased by Monogram for Tex Ritter. Edward Finney is producer. Swing Marriage, original by Jerry Sackheim, purchased by Universal. Untitled Original, by Maury Grossman and Lee Loeb, to be the fourth in the "College Story" series, purchased by Universal. Untitled Original, by Edmund North, purchased by Samuel Goldwyn (United Artists), dealing with the career of Colonel Rowan, founder of Scotland Yard. David Niven will be starred, with the picture being filmed in England. Untitled Original, no writing credits yet, based on the life story of Al Jennings, reformed Oklahoma bandit, to be produced by Harry Sherman for Paramount, tion by E. B. Derr. Untitled Original, by Laura and S. J. Perelman, purchased by Paramount for a musical production featuring Gene Krupa and his orchestra. William C. Thomas is associate producer. What's A Fixer For? original by H. C. Potter, purchased by RKO. Whiskey Sour, Cosmopolitan magazine story by Max Brand, purchased by MGM. Wildcat Bus, original by Owen Francis, purchased by RKO. Screen adaption will be by Clarence Upson Young. Without Benefit of Arms, original by David Weissman, purchased by Tri-Art Film Productions. Woman Without A Country, original by Arthur Caesar, purchased by Universal. You Can't Cheat An Honest Man, original by W. C. Fields, purchased by Universal.