Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1942)

March 14, 1942 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 41 STORY BUYS HIT NEW HIGH WAR STORIES STRESSED 65 Purchases for February Mark Record X umber as Studios Stock Up Hollywood purchases of stories and plays for the month of February set a record high for the year, and exceeded by 10 the total for February, 1941. Acquisitions in this buying season, when producers plan the next season's product, show a general agreement that war stories and comedy will continue as the chief themes in screen entertainment. Sixty-five properties were bought in February, of which 44 were original and 17 were published stories. With 40 books and plays acquired in January, the year's total has already reached 105. Paramount paid 5225,000 for "Let's Face It," Vinton Freedley's musical comedy currently running on Broadway. Oi this sum — reportedly one of the largest ever paid for a theatrical property — 5100.000 went to Twentieth Century-Fox for rights to "Cradle Snatchers," the play on which the comedy was based. Bob Hope will have the role played by Danny Kaye on the stage. •'"Dragon Seed," Pearl S. Buck's latest novel of China at war, has been acquired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which also produced "The Good Earth." The price for the screen rights to the book, a Book-of-the-MonthClub choice which is expected to rival its predecessors in total sales, was reported to be 5105,000. "The American Way," the George Kaufman-Moss Hart spectacle, which ran for 164 performances on the Xew York stage in 1939, has been acquired by Columbia in a profit-sharing deal in which authors, and stage producers will participate. January Buys Listed The properties acquired during the month of January, with all available credits, follow: Adventures of Salt Valley, an original cowboy story by Martin Sperber, purchased by RKO as a vehicle for Tim Holt American Way, The, a Broadway stage production of a few seasons back by George Kaufman and Moss Hart, purchased by Columbia for production by George Stevens. Angels with Horns, an original story by Bradbury Foote acquired by Paramount Between Us Girls, an original story by Paul Schiller purchased for production by Universal. Black Dragon, an original story by Robert Kehoe of a Japanese sabotage group. Monogram has acquired the property as a vehicle for Bela Lugosi. Broadway Goes to College, an original screen story by George Carleton Brown, brought by Republic as a vehicle for Mary Lee. Calling Manila, an original story of the current defense of Luzon, purchased by Fox. Eleven Were Brave, an original story of the war by Cnarles G. Booth, acquired by Republic as a story for Don Barry. Escape, a mystery novel by Philip MacDonald, which was published in 1931. Universal has purchased the property for production by Dwight Taylor. Escape to Hong Kong, an original story by Roy Chanslor purchased by Universal. STORY PURCHASES OF YEAR COMPARED Month Originals Books Plays Tota March, 1941 31 19(a) 5 55 April 17 11(b) 6 34 May 20 24(c) 4 48 June 39 9(d) 2 50 July 18 11(e) 2 31 August 9 m 1 17 September 31 17(g) 2 50 October 20 15(h) 4 39 November 20 16(1) 3 39 December 16 1 0(|) 26 January, 1942 27 9(k) 4 40 February 44 18(1) 3 65 TOTALS FOR 12 MONTHS 292 66(m) 36 494 (a) Including 2 published magazine stories, newspa per comic strip and I film. (b) Including 2 published magaz're stories and 1 radio scrips, (c) Including 4 published magazine stories and 2 radio scripts. (d) Including 3 published magazine stories, I musical composition and I radio script. (e) Including I published magazine story and I newspaper comic strip. (f) Including I radio script. (g) Including 3 published magazine stories, I newspaper comic strip and I film. (h) Including 4 published magazine stories. (i) Including I published magazine story and I musical composition, (j) Including 4 published magazine stories. (It) Including I film and I song. (I) Including 3 published magazine stories and I song. (m) Including 26 published magazine s+ories, 5 radio scripts., 3 films, 4 musical compositions and 3 newspaper comic strips, Everybody Comes to Ricks, an unproduced play by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison, acquired by Warners. Exile Express, an original story by Charles Avedon purchased for production by Universal. Friendly Enemies, a Broadway stage comedy of 1918 by Samuel Shipman and Aaron Hoffman, purchased by Edward Small from Al Woods, who originally staged the play. General Billy Mitchell, an original story by William Rankin of the famed man who predicted the war of the air and which resulted in his court martial. RKO has acquired the screen rights to the property. Gentle Annie, a novel by McKinlay Kantor purchased for production by RKO. Girl from: Leningrad, The, a Soviet produced motion picture the re-make rights of which have been purchased by Eugene Franke and Gregor Rabinowitch for production. Gold Hunters of the Xorth, a novel by Tack London acquired by Universal. Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour, an original story by Aline Leslie purchased by Paramount as another chapter in the "Aldrich" series. History of Mr. Polly, The, a novel by H. G. Wells acquired by RKO as a vehicle for Charles Laughton. The book was first published in 1909 and recounts the adventures of a middle-class Englishman who, by committing arson, solves the financial problems of the town. House at Peace, A, a novel by Charles Morgan purchased for production by Fox. Interceptor Command, an original story by Maxwell Shane about the Army's anti-raid organization. William Pine and William Thomas have acquired the story. Invisible Man Reclaims His Head, The, an orginal story by Curt Siodrnak purchased by Universal. Just Call Me Darling, an original story by Margaret Lee purchased by Columbia for production by B. P. Schulberg. Lady of Science, an original story' by Wallace Sullivan acquired by Charles Rogers, United Artists producer. Men at Sea, an original story of Naval warfare by Allen Rivkin purchased by MGM for production by Jack Chertok. My Buddy, a war song popular during the first World War, purchased by Republic to be used as a film title. Peter Biddle, Air Warden, an original story by Edwin Gilbert, acquired by Warners. Riders of the Desert, an original story by Peter Milne purchased by Universal. Saboteur, The, an original story by Alfred Hitchcock, Joan Harrison, Peter Viertal and John Houseman acquired by Universal. Salute to the Marines, an original story by Robert D. Andrews, purchased by MGM as a vehicle for Wallace Beery. San Pedro Blossom, an original story by Bradbury Foote, acquired by Alfred Green, a director. Save Me the Sun, a novel by Hasslot acquired for production by Lloyd Nolan. Sing, Soldier, Sing, an original story by Paul Gerard Smith purchased by Universal. Six Girls in Uniform, an original war story by Robert Hopkins purchased by MGM. Skid Row, an original story by Brenda Weisberg, acquired by Universal. Storm, a novel by George R. Stewart acquired bv Paramount for a renorted sum of $30,000; Washington Drama, The, an original story by Leonard Spiegalgass and Leo C. Rosten, purchased by Samuel Goldwyn. The story is a spy melodrama with comic aspects. Watch on the Rhine, a Broadway antiXazi stage play by Lillian Hellman purchased by Warners. Woe Is the Empire, an original story by George Murphy, film actor, purchased" by Monogram. Ed Gross will produce Young and the Brave, The, an original story of the Army Air Corps purchased by Warners. February Purchases The properties acquired during the month of February, with all available credits, follow : Adventures of Smtun' Jack, an original story by Ford Beebe and Morgan B. Cox, purchased by Universal. Alaska Road, an original story by Mortimer Brause, purchased by Edward Gross, independent producer. Annabel Lee, an original story by Bryan Foy, purchased from Warners by Twentieth Century Fox. It will be filmed as "The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe" with Linda Darnell and John Shepperd. Behold the Bridegroom, the stage play by George Kelly, acquired by RKO. Bird of Paradise, which RKO produced in {Continued on fcllozcinp page)