Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1943)

May 15, 1943 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 21 HOLLYWOOD SEASONS WAR WITH VAUDEVILLE, MUSIC Studios Have 22 Show Pieces Completed; Six More in Production Holly wood Bureau Fortunately, Hollywood was not caught with its arpeggios down when it became evident only a few weeks ago that films based upon the war showed signs of no longer paying off as well as they had been. Hollywood, with a lot more war yarns already filmed and awaiting release, is not worried at this point, feeling certain that the pendulum can swing back to them again if the release of war dramas is staggered and thus made available at periodic intervals between musicals and other escapist entertainment. Musical pictures appear to be the court favorite at this writing and there are plenty ready: 22 are in the shipping cans ready for exhibition; six more are in production. These 28 are in addition to five other dramas or comedies, such as Paramount's "Lady In the Dark" and Warners' "Desert Song," with strong musical backgrounds, that are now completed. But the essential development is that 53 other out-and-out musicals and 45 stories with music have been designated for production in recent weeks. What is happening in Hollywood was shown last week when MGM suddenly postponed the advertised trade showing of "Bataan," war drama, and substituted for it the long-completed "Du Barry Was a Lady." Trade showings of "Bataan" later were set for May 25th. The HERALD learns that exchange bookers and managers are being notified release dates will be juggled and, wherever feasible, those 28 completed musicals and five stories with music will replace war dramas on booking calendars. Thereafter, it is reported the movie menu, in order to keep audiences from being satiated with a surfeit of any one type of entertainment, will probably include the release by each company of one musical, one war drama, one mystery or other drama, and one comedy in each block. A company like MGM, releasing in groups of as many as twelve, will proportion the variety. Warners, with one release a month, will play the current boxoffice favorite. These are the musicals and musical dramas on which the Jerome Kerns and the Cole Porters, and indeed Kern and Porter themselves, are setting fiction to music and turning out notes and lyrics on the assembly line. The grand total of 131 musical pictures that are completed, in production or in preparation, follows : Columbia Completed: "What's Buzzin', Cousin?" (Ann Miller, John Hubbard, Rochester, Freddy Martin orchestra.) In Preparation: "Tropicar.a" (Mae West. VAUDEVILLE AND MINSTREL THEMES In the 126 musicals and musical dramas or comedies now ready for or in release, in production and in preparation in Hollywood, there are four distinct cycles within the cycle. These are the vaudeville subject, the show business theme, a trend to minstrel background and, although at the moment only one, burlesque. Show business background is evident in Eddie Cantor's "Show Business" for RKO, Columbia's "Jam Session", Paramount's "Incendiary Blonde", Warners' "Melancholy Baby", "Gay Nineties", "Shine On, Harvest Moon" and a Marilyn Miller subject. The minstrel theme makes up Paramount's "Dixie", MGM's "Honey Boy" and George Jessel's "Gentlemen, Be Seated" for RKO. For vaudeville, Pine & Thomas will try their hands at a musical in "The Duchess Rides High" and MGM will write a yarn of the two-a-day around Judy Garland. Marie Dressler's early days in the music halls will theme a story of her life to star Kate Smith at RKO and David O. Selznick has a Dressier biography written in "Swan Song". "Is Everybody Happy?" will depict the Ted Lewis career in a Columbia film. United Artists has "Lady of Burlesque", based on Gypsy Rose Lee's "G-String Murders". RKO has called off "Queens of Burlesque" and one or two other burlesque-backgrounded themes have died in embryonic stages. Billy Gaxton), "The Cover Girl" (Rita Hayworth, Jinx Falkenburg and 15 magazine cover girls), "Leave It to Me" (Ratoff), "Jam Session" (15 radio star musical acts), "Hey, Rookie" (Ann Miller and soldier cast), "Mississippi," "Rhapsody In a Flat" (Nan Wynn), "Louisiana Hayride" (Judy Canova), "Beautiful But Broke," "Doughboys In Ireland," "Victory Caravan," a Fred Waring musical and a Ted Lewis musical, titled either "Is Everybody Happy" or "When My Baby Smiles At Me." Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Completed: "Du Barry Was a Lady" (Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Gene Kelly, Tommy Dorsey Band), "Cabin In the Sky" (Ethel Waters, Lena Home, Rochester and all-Negro cast) , "Presenting Lily Mars" (Judy Garland, , Van Helfin, Richard Carlson), untitled Kay Kyser film (formerly "Right About Face," "Girl Crazy" (Rooney and Garland), "Private Miss Tones" (Kathryn Grayson, Gene Kelly). "Best Foot Forward" (Lucille Ball, Billy Gaxton, Harry James band.) In Preparation: "The Ziegfeld Follies," "Honey Boy" (Mickey Rooney, Gene Kelly), untitled Garland vaudeville story, "Meet Me In St. Louis" (Garland), "You Can't Fool a Marine" (Eleanor Powell, Jackie Jenkins), "Anchors Aweigh," "Up and Down Broadway" (Powell, George Murphy), "Great Day" (Kathryn Grayson), "High Kickers," "Here Comes the Band" (collegiate musical with name band), "Meet the People," "Very Warm for May," "Jumbo," "Bathing Beauty" (Esther Williams and water ballet), "Mr. Coed" (Red Skelton, Esther Williams), "Harem Scare 'Em" (Abbott and Costello), "Tale of Two Sisters," "Merry Widow Goes West." Monogram Completed: "Sarong Girl" (Ann Corio and N. T. G. Florentine Gardens show), "Melody Parade" (Mary Beth Hughes, Eddie Quillan and Ted Fio Rito band). In Preparation: "Casa Manana," "Canteen Girl," "Lady, Let's Dance" (Belita), "Sweetheart of the Marines." Paramount Completed: "Star Spangled Rhythm" (all stars on contract list), "Lady In the Dark" (Ginger Rogers, Ray Milland, Jon Hall, Parker and Daniel), "Dixie" (with Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Marjorie Reynolds, Billy De Wolfe), "Riding High" (Dorothy Lamour, Dick Powell, Victor Moore, Milt Britton band), "Let's Face It" (Bob Hope, Betty Hutton). In Production: "And the Angels Sing" (Lamour, Fred MacMurray, Betty Hutton, Diana Lynn, Mimi Chandler). Irt Preparation: "Incendiary Blonde" (Betty Hutton), "Stallion Road" (Crosby), "Road to Utopia" (Crosby, Hope, Lamour), "Girls Town," "Big Town Blues," "Very Hot In Haiti," "Galveston" (Lamour), "Rainbow Island" (Eddie Bracken, Betty Hutton), "The Duchess Rides High" (Pine-Thomas fling at music), and the untitled Mark Sandrich-Irving Berlin musical to follow up "Holiday Inn." "Merton of the Movies" and "You Can't Ration Love" also will have some music. Producers Releasing Completed: "Follies Girl" (Wendy Barrie, Gordon Oliver). In Preparation: "Talent School," "I'm From Arkansas," "Oh Say Can You Sing," "Oh, Baby." RKO Radio Completed: "The Sky's the Limit" (warbackgrounded musical with Fred Astaire, Joan Leslie, Robert Benchley). In Preparation: "Show Business" (Eddie Cantor cavalcade), Marie Dressier story (to star Kate Smith), "Gentlemen Be Seated" (life of Eddie Leonard to star George Jessel), a big navy musical based on "Hit the Deck," "Higher and Higher" (Michele Morgan and Frank Sinatra), "Around the World" (Kay Kyser, Bergen and McCarthy, Marcy McCuire), "The Petty Girl," "The Gibson Girl" (dramatic story but highlighting the music of that era). Republic Completed: "Hit Parade of 1943" (John Carroll, Susan Hayward, Gail Patrick), "Shantytown" (Mary Lee), "Thumbs Up" (Elsa Lanchester) . In Preparation: "Dancing Debs" (Mary Lee, Jackie Moran, Gladys George), "Gay Blades" (ice show with Ice-Capades cast), "Three Lit (Continned on page 24, column I)