Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1940)

30 MOTION PICTURE HERALD November 9, I 940 THE HOLLYWOOD SCENE Down a Bit Production slipped slightly this week, as six pictures finished, two less than in the last stanza; eight were started, one more than last week, and 36 were shooting, 19 being prepared and 72 edited, against the 35, 18 and 74 of the week before. The week's tabulation: COMPLETED Columbia Paramount This Thing Called You're the One Love RKO Phantom Submarine Mr. and Mrs. Smith Monogram Republic C.C.C. Camp The Mysterious Dr. Satan STARTED Monogram Under Texas Stars Republic Bowery Boy Lone Star Raiders Roach (UA) Topper Returns SHOOTING Columbia LegacyPenny Serenade Korda (UA) Lady Hamilton MGM Come Live With Me Keeping Company Maisie Was a Lady Wild Man of Borneo Monogram Her Father's Daughter Paramount I Wanted Wings Shepherd of the Hills Reaching for the Sun In Old Colorado The Lady Eve RKO Citizen Kane Kitty Foyle Three Girls and a Gob Universal Back Street Where Did You Get that Girl ? Warners Father and Son Far Horizons in Pair The Saint Springs Republic A Flagpole Needs a Flag Rowland (UA) Cheers for Miss Bishop 20th -Fox Western Union Universal Trail of the Vigilantes The Invisible Woman Riders of Death Valley Warners The Wagons Roll at Night Trial and Error Footsteps in the Dark Case of the Black Parrot Strawberry Blonde One short subject was completed and three started. Education One of the most thorough tie-ups made to date between Hollywood and the higher education was concluded this week, the parties concerned being Loew-Lewin and the University of Southern California. Under a plan worked out by Professor Warren Scott of the University's Cinematography Division and the producers, their forthcoming United Artists picture "Flotsam" will be used as the basis of daily college study. Through the use of production schedules, call sheets, shooting script, and publicity and adverstising matter, students, it is said, will be able to follow completely the making ROMANCE IN CELLULOID With wars raging abroad, Hollywood is finding romance a handy box office ingredient, is managing to get its idea in many a film title. Currently, almost every studio has at least one picture with "love" in its name. Paramount's "Arise My Love" is currently in release, and its "Love Thy Neighbor" with Jack Benny and Fred Allen, has been completed. At MGM William Powell and Myrna Loy appear in "1 Love You Again," and Miss Loy, with Melvyn Douglas, is also appearing on theatre marquees in the meaningful, romantically speaking, "Third Finger Left Hand." Columbia has "This Thing Called Love," just finished this week, and starring Mr. Douglas and Rosalind Russell, and Warners contributes its "My Love Came Back," released recently. Universal adds to the list with its "Love, Honor and Oh Baby." Recent titles with definite leanings toward Eros includes Paramount's "You're the One," MGM's "Come Live with Me" and Universal's "Hired Wife." of a feature film. Also made available will be information on how the picture is sold. The same procedure is to be followed on "Night Music," which follows "Flotsam" on the Loew-Lewin schedule. Contracts Hollywood, this week, awarded seven new or extended contracts to players, writers and a director, a process in which four studios participated. At Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Lewis Stone started his seventeenth year with that studio, his first with the company having taken effect in 1924. Under the new long term agreement, Mr. Stone's first assignment will be in the next Hardy Family picture, with Mickey Rooney as "Andy" and George Seitz directing. Also given a new M-G-M deal was Melvyn Douglas, who reports back to the studio after completion of his role in Columbia's "This Thing Called Love." Virginia Van Upp, currently working on the screen play of "There's Always Juliet," was given a new five-year contract by Paramount, which also signed Walter Abel to a term contract as a result of his work in "Arise My Love." Warners exercised contract options on Phillip and Julius Epstein. The brothers have just finished the script for "Four Mothers" and are now working on "The Bride Came C. O. D." With "The Mark of Zorro" completed and previewed, director Rouben Mamoulian was signed to a two-year deal by Twentieth Century-Fox. His next directorial assignment is to be "Blood and Sand," starring Tyrone Power. Stories Three story properties were purchased this week by as many studios, two of them being originals and the other a book. The last-named was Katharine Brush's "You Go Your Way," first story in a year from the typewriter of the author of "Young Man of Manhattan," "Red Headed Woman," and many another. Paramount bought the property and will begin production in four or five months. "Bomb Shelter," an original by Ben Markson, was purchased by Warners, with the author set to do the screen play as well. The action occurs in a London bomb shelter and takes place during a single night. Republic bought "Angel On Earth," a Hope Ross original, and set it for immediate production. Sweet Charity Monday, last, some 30,000 film workers assembled in various mass meetings for the 1940 Community Chest drive. Beginning the meetings was a 10-minute radio program during which the main appeal was made by M-G-M's Louis B. Mayer, chairman of the film division of the drive. At the conclusion of the radio appeal, each meeting was taken over by the head of the individual studio, with all showing the specially made Community Chest film, "Andy Hardy in Los Angeles, a lesson in mathematics and other things," Produced by Harry Rapf and Carey Wilson, the short showed Mickey Rooney and Lewis Stone in a visit to various Community Chest agencies. After its showings at the studio meets, the picture was released to Los Angeles theatres. Various special committees were also active in the drive, including those of the Artists' Managers Association and a secretaries and stenographers group. V Walter Pidgeon will appear opposite Greer Garson in M-G-M's "Blossoms in the Dust," made in Technicolor. William Seiter is to direct Deanna Durbin's next Universal film, "Nice Girl." Max Brand is doing the screen play on the next "Dr. Kildare" film at M-G-M. Victor Heerman and Sarah Y. Mason are writing the screen play of "The Light of Heart" for Twentieth Century-Fox. Leslie Goodwins has been assigned to direct "They Met in Argentina" at RKO. Lionel Barrymore and Wallace Beery will be teamed in M-G-M's "Bad Man."