Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1945)

THE HOLLYWOOD SCENE COMPLETED COLUMBIA Power of the Whistler Escape in the Fog Rockin' in the Rockies MGM Twice Blessed Without Love Our Vines Have Tender Grapes RKO RADIO Isle of the Dead REPUBLIC Corpus Christi Bandit Gangs of the Waterfront Tell It to a Star Utah Tugboat Annie's Son (James S. Burkett) UNIVERSAL Easy to Look At Blonde Ransom WARNERS San Antonio STARTED PARAMOUNT Too Good to Be True Masquerade in Mexico REPUBLIC Road to Alcatraz Return at Dawn SHOOTING COLUMBIA Fighting Guardsman Thousand and One Nights MGM Her Highness and the Bellboy Hidden Eye Weekend at the Waldorf Hold High the Torch PARAMOUNT Good Intentions The Virginian Lost Weekend Love Letters Affairs of Susan Duffy's Tavern RKO RADIO Johnny Angel Follow Your Heart Spanish Main Invisible Army Along Came Jones (International) 20TH CENTURY-FOX Colonel Effingham's Raid Bell for Adano Captain Eddie UNITED ARTISTS Walk in the Sun (Bronston) Blood on the Sun (Cagney) Story of G. I. Joe ( Cowan ) Guest Wife (Skirball Manning) UNIVERSAL Night in Paradise That's the Spirit WARNERS Mildred Pierce This Love of Ours Hotel Berlin Big Sleep Paramount Begins Work On Two New Pictures Hollywood Bureau In the lull between two holiday weekends, the shooting index fell to 34, lowest figure reached since March, and lower than the corresponding week in 1943 which saw 37 features in work. Indications are, however, that the decline is purely temporary, and that the first week of the new year will see a sharp increase in production activity. Paramount trained cameras on two major productions: "Too Good to Be True" and "Masquerade in Mexico." The former co-stars Betty Hutton and Sonny Tufts in a story about a chorus girl who cannot tell the truth. Harry Tugend is the producer, and John Barry is directing. "Masquerade" is described as a story of international adventure and romance, with Mitchell Leisen directing and Karl Tunberg producing. Dorothy Lamour and Arturo De Cordova are co-starred, with Patric Knowles in support. Republic launched "Road to Alcatraz" and "Return at Dawn." Joseph Berscholtz is associate producer on the latter, and Jack English is directing. Sidney Picker is associate producer on "Road to Alcatraz," and Nick Grinde is directing. The cast includes Robert Lowery, June Storey, Charles Gordon, Clarence Kolb, Iris Adrian and Grant Withers. Recent Story Purchases Of Studios Listed "Tomorrow Will Sing," a novel by Elliott Arnold, which will be published next month by Duell, Sloan and Pearce, has been purchased by Columbia from the galley proofs. Republic has bought two properties from Frank Gruber, an original screenplay called "When Silver Was King," and a novel titled "Gunsight." "Too Young to Know," a novel by Harlan Ware now running serially in the Saturday Evening Post, has been purchased by Warners. Columbia has acquired an original by F. Hugh Herbert, 'When I Come Back," and plans to put it into production shortly. Universal has bought a mystery novel, "The Third Eye," by Ethel Lina White. Joan Harrison will produce. V Benedict Bogeaus will put "Captain Kidd," starring Charles Laughton, into production within the next two weeks. Norman Reilly Raine is writing the screenplay from Robert Lee's original story, which relates the adven tures of the pirate during the later years of his life. Rowland V. Lee will be the director. Jules Levey will produce "The Homesteaders," based on Ernest Haycox's novel, "Trail Town," and has signed Randolph Scott for the lead. Production on the color feature will start in the spring. . . . Constance Bennett is preparing "Paris Underground," which she will produce for United Artists release, and in which she will have a starring role. Kay Francis and Jefifrey Bernerd will launch "Divorce," in which Miss Francis will star, some time in January. The picture will be released through Monogram. Russell Wade, RKO Radio contract player, has formed Sunset Productions, Inc., to make a series of 16mm five-reel films similar to Wade's color Western, "Sundown Riders," which has been given playing time on church and school circuits. Universal Takes Option on "Sherlock Holmes" Universal has exercised its option on the rights to the "Sherlock Holmes" stories for the fourth successive year. The deal was made with the estate of the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle through the author's son, Dennis Conan Doyle. Future productions in the series will have high budgets. The title of the next to go into work will be "Invitation to Death," costarring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, with Roy William Neill as the producer-director of the film. Personnel Intelligence About Hollywood Louis B. Mayer has returned to his desk at MGM after a long convalescence which followed his fall from a horse last summer. . . Seton I. MiHer will produce his own original screenplay, "Calcutta," for Paramount. . . . Bonita Granville and Allan Jones will be costarred in Universal's romance with music, "Have a Heart." Frank Morgan will be starred in a one-hour feature, "Morgan's Folly," which Jerry Bressler will produce for MGM. . . . Sonny Tufts has been cast for the third stellar role in Paramount's "The Well-Groomed Bride," with Ray Milland and Olivia de Havilland. ... Pat Kirkland has been selected to play the lead in the film adaptation of "Kiss and Tell," which will be produced for Columbia by Sol Siegel, George Abbott and F. Hugh Herbert. Two East Side Kids comedies will go into production at Monogram shortly. They are "Docks of New York" and "The Country Fair." . . . John Miles, currently working in "This Love of Ours," has had his Warner contract renewed. . . . Paul Andor will have his first comedy role in MGM's "Weekend at the Waldorf." Warners Has Outstanding List of Properties The Warner studio will head into 1945 with what is reported to be the greatest story pool in the company's history as a result of the acquisition of a number of outstanding properties. Among these are the Broadway hit plays, "Life with Father," "Voice of the Turtle," "The Two Mrs. Carrolls" and "Chicken Every Sunday." . . . Sol Lesser has completed arrangements with Arthur Murray whereby Murray and his chain of dancing schools will be a part of Lesser's forthcoming musical cavalcade, "Crazy to Dance." PRC has purchased the screen rights to "Checkmate," by Sheldon Leonard, the actor, who has also been signed to play the leading male role in the picture. . . . Roy Disney is back from Mexico City, where he attended the world premiere of "The Three Caballeros." . . . Judy Canova has been signed by Columbia to star in a musical titled "Hayfoot, Strawfoot," to be produced by the Leonard Picker unit under supervision of Irving Briskin. . . . Edward Ryan has been assigned the lead in "Caribbean Mystery" at 20th Century-Fox. Lew Landers has been signed by PRC to direct the Jack Schwarz production, "Enchanted Forest." . . . Marek Lubkov will be coproducer with Steve Sekely on Republic's "The Healer." . . . Twentieth Century-Fox has exercised its option on the services, of Phil Silvers for another year, and assigned him an important role in "Two-Faced Quilligan." . . . Mark Hellinger is preparing "The Two Mrs. Carrolls" for production at the Warner studio. . . . Dorothy Kingsley is writing the screenplay of "The Girl from Rector's," which Jack Cummings will produce for MGM. Rlckenbacker Film Is Now "Captain Eddie" Twentieth Century-Fox has announced that the title of the Eddie Rickenbacker film, formerly "First, Last and Always," is now "Captain Eddie." Charles Bickford, Darryl Hickman, Thomas Mitchell, Richard Crane, Chick Chandler and James Gleason will be seen in the forthcoming Winfield Sheehan production based on the life o,f the World War 'l flier. Bill Williams has been signed by RKO Radio for the role of Robert Young's rival in "Those Endearing Young Charms." ... Columbia has exercised its option on the services of Jimmy Lloyd, former radio actor. MOTION PICTURE HERALD. JANUARY 6. 1945 39