Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1944)

4 HE HOLLYWOOO SCEJME lOMPLETED kRAMOUNT ard to Handle (Pineatj:| Thomas) ■5^^! PUBLIC criff of Cimarron ■^j^^pTH CENTURY -FOX j'ijiullfighters ^!^|nited artists "^PSedside Manner !| (Stone) STARTED REPUBLIC Corpus Christi Bandit UNIVERSAL Night in Paradise That's the Spirit SHOOTING COLUMBIA Fighting Guardsman Power of the Whistler (formerly "Until Tomorrow") Escape in the Fog Rockin' in the Rockies Thousand and One Nights MGM Her Highness and the Bellboy Twice Blessed Hidden Eye Weekend at the Waldorf Without Love Our Vines Have Tender Grapes Hold High the Torch PARAMOUNT Good Intentions Virginian Lost Weekend Love Letters Affairs of Susan Duffy's Tavern RKO RADIO Isle of the Dead Johnny Angel Follow Your Heart Spanish Main Invisible Army Along Came Jones (International) REPUBLIC Gangs of the Waterfront Tell It to a Star Utah Tugboat Annie's Son (James S. Burkett) 20TH CENTURYFOX Colonel Effingham's Raid Bell for Adano Captain Eddie (formerly "First, Last and Always") UNITED ARTISTS Walk in the Sun Blood on the Sun ( Cagney ) Story of G.I. Joe ( Cowan) Guest Wife ( Skirball Manning ) UNIVERSAL Easy to Look At Blonde Ransom VVARNERS Mildred Pierce This Love of Ours Hotel Berlin Big Sleep San Antonio Uniyersal Starts Shooting iOn Comedy and Fantasy Hollyivood Bureau I The studios, reluctant to put new product 'pto work with the Christmas holiday weekend, rearranged shooting schedules and cut lown generally on production activity last Kveek. Universal alone was undeterred by the holi;day season. Two new pictures were launched :t)n the lot: Walter Wanger's production of "A Night in Paradise," and the ^lichael FessierErnest Pagano enterprise, "That's the Spirit." ; "A Night in Paradise" is described as a Technicolor fantasy, and the setting is x\sia Minor in the year 580 B.C. Merle Oberon plays a Persian princess, while Turhan Bey enacts the role of Aesop. Arthur Lubin is directing. Fessier and Pagano Put "That's the Spirit" in Work "That's the Spirit" is a comedy, and it will be remembered that the writer-producer team of Fessier and Pagano have had success with previous comedies. "San Diego, I Love You" is an example that comes readily to mind. This new picture has a large cast which includes Jack Oakie, Peggy Ryan, Buster Keaton, Irene Ryan, Johnny Coy, June Vincent, Gene Lockhart, Edith Barrett and Andy Devine. Charles Lamont is the director. The third and last of the week's trio of starters is a western titled "Corpus Christi Bandit," which went into work at Republic. Stephen Auer is producing, Wallace Grissell directing. Allan Lane, "Twinkle'' Watts and Helen Talbot are in the cast. MGM Enlarges Studio Cartoon Department To relieve the present production pressure which is described as the greatest in MGM cartoon history. Producer Fred Quimby has formed a new cartoon unit consisting of a director, four animators and assistants, story and gag writers, layout and background men. The move is occasioned by the extra footage requirements for the special live-action and animation sequence in the Technicolor musical, "Anchors Aweigh," in which Gene Kelly will perform a dance routine with cartoon characters and background. In addition to this subject, which is currently in work, 16 others for MGM's 1944-45 program are in various stages of production. Personnel Intelligence About Hollywood Although Carey Wilson has produced the "Dr. Gillespie" pictures for MGM since the inception of the series, the first to bear his name is "Between Two Women," current release featuring Van Johnson and Lionel Barrymore. . . . Olivia de Havilland's next starring picture will be Paramount's "The WeilGroomed Bride." . . . Kurd Hatfield, MGM actor who recently completed the title role in "The Picture of Dorian Gray," has been signed to play the lead opposite Gertrude Lawrence in the Broadway play, "Errand for Bernice." . . . Paul Andor has been signed by Warners for a featured role in "Hotel Berlin." W^ R. Frank has arranged for Jack Gorton, trainer, and his dog "Lucky," who appears in "A Boy, a Girl and a Dog," to make a personal appearance tour with his picture. Also in the troupe will be Jerry Hunter, eight-yearold actor, who worked in the production and who is under long-term contract to Frank. Ann Harding Gets Role In New RKO Picture . Ann Harding has been signed by RKO Radio to play the role of Laraine Day's mother in "Those Endearing Young Charms," screen adaptation of Jerome Chodorov's play. . . . Jane Frazee has been assigned by Columbia to the feminine lead in "Ten Cents a Dance," which Will Jason will direct. . . . Raymond Massey has had his Warner contract renewed. . . . Ann Dvorak has been signed by Paramount for one of the top roles in "Masquerade in Mexico." "The Inside Story," purchased last week by Columbia from Scott Middleton, will be utilized as the basis of the fifth picture in the studio's "Whistler" series, which stars Richard Dix. . . . Faye Emerson and Dane Clark have been made a new starring team at Warners. Their first assignment will be "Catch a Falling Star," based on a story by Ruth O'Malley. . . . "Jungle Queen," an original by William Lively, will be the first Monogram film to star Acquanetta. Sam Katznian and Jack Dietz will produce. Albert Hay Malotte, composer, and Larry Morey, lyric writer, have been signed to do a special musical score for "Enchanted Forest," Jack Schwarz production for PRC. . . . Tom Alfred, former member of Columbia's publicity department, has joined the advertising department at Paramount. . . . Lynn Merrick has been set to play the feminine lead in the next of Columbia's "Boston Blackie" series, which stars Chester Morris. . . . Wallace Fox has been signed to direct the next two East Side Kids pictures for Monogram. Fred de Cordova, for more than a year dialogue director at the Warner studio, has been elevated to a full director. His first assignment will be "The Time Between." . . . Charles R. Rogers is looking for a typical Irish beauty to star in his forthcoming production, "My Wild Irish Rose." . . . "What Price Innocence?" another delinquency drama, has been assigned by Columbia to Ted Richmond for production. Vidor Seeks Locations for Selznick's "Duel in Sun" King Vidor has left for Arizona in search of suitable location settings for David O. Selznick's production, "Duel in the Sun." . . . Joyce Reynolds, who played the title role in "Janie," has had her Warner contract renewed. . . . Marjorie Main will have a featured role in "The Harvey Girls," scheduled to start soon after the first of the year at MGM. George Sidney will direct, Arthur Freed will produce. Having been honorably discharged from the U. S. Army, Carroll Young has returned to the Sol Lesser organization and resumed his position on the executive staff. . . . Bernard Schoenfeld has been engaged by RKO Radio to work on the screenplay of "Sinbad the Sailor," which William Pereira will produce. . . . Rosemary DeCamp has been signed for the second feminine lead in "This Love of Ours," currently in production at Warners. Sturges To Produce Two For United Artists An agreement by which United Artists will release two pictures, to be produced and directed by Preston Sturges was concluded last week in Hollywood, the company announced Tuesday. The deal was made by Gradwell Sears, vice-president in charge of UA distribution, and Henry Henigsen, representing the California Pictures Corporation. Mr. Sturges' two most recent productions were "Miracle of Morgan's Creek" and "Hail the Conquering Hero." MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER 30, 1944 33