Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1945)

HE HOLLYWOOD SCENE pMPLETED mgster's Den (formrly "Untitled Buster rabbe") lantom of 42nd Street UBLIC tal Witness )ad to Alcatraz ^ITED ARTISTS pry of G.I. (Cowan) IIVERSAL norita from West Joe the WARNERS Hotel Berlin Big Sleep STARTED COLUMBIA Kiss and Tell MONOGRAM Robot Murder PRC Enemy of the Law REPUBLIC Bells of Rosarita 20TH CENTURYFOX Two-Faced Quilligan Dolly Sisters UNITED ARTISTS Captain K i d d (Bogeaus ) UNIVERSAL Naughty Nineties Invitation to Death Lady on ^ Train INDEPENDENT Ten Little Indians (Popular Pictures) SHOOTING COLUMBIA Over 21 Ten Cents a Dance Fighting Guardsman Thousand and One Nights MGM Yolanda and the Thief Harvey Girls Her Highness and the Bellboy Weekend at the Waldorf MONOGRAM Stranger from Santa Fe Docks of New York PARAMOUNT Masquerade in Mexico Good Intentions Too Good to Be True PRC Enchabted Forest RKO RADIO Those Endearing Young Charms Johnny Angel Spanish Main Invisible Army Along Came Jones (International) REPUBLIC New Faces of of 1945 Return at Dawn 20TH CENTURY -FOX State Fair Colonel Effingham's Raid Bell for Adano Captain Eddie UNITED ARTISTS Paris — Underground (Bennett) Guest Wife (Skirball Manning) UNIVERSAL That's the Spirit Night in Paradise V/ARNERS Three Strangers Mildred Pierce The Dolly Sisters" Among lleven Pictures Started [ollywood Bureau Production continued to climb steadily last ;ek as 11 ntw features were started and eight lers were completed. At the weekend, the Doting index stood at 43. Two were started at 20th Century-Fox: wo-Faced Quilligan" and "The Dolly Siss." "Quilligan" is a comedy about a canalat captain with a weakness for blondes, and 8 William Bendix, Joan Blondell, Phil Silrs, Anne Revere and Mary Treen in the 5t. Frank Tuttle is directing for Producer illiam LeBaron. "The Dolly Sisters" is a musical version the careers of the famous Follies stars of a neration ago. Irving Cummings is directing, lorge Jessel producing, and the cast includes tty Grable, John Payne, June Haver, S. Z. kail, Frank Latimore, Trudy Marshall, Gene eldon, Ricki Van Dusen, Evon Thomas and mna Jo Gribble. ogeaus Starts Shooting n "Captain Kidd" Film Benedict Bogeaus began work on "Captain dd," his latest production for United Artists, larles Laughton plays the title role in this n version of the life of the notorious pirate, pwland V. Lee is directing. At Columbia, work started on "Kiss and 11," under the auspices of the new firm, Abtt-Herbert Productions, which consi-sts of :orge Abbott, Sol Siegel and F. Hugh Herrt. The picture stars Shirley Temple, and chard Wallace is directing for Producer Sol egel. Others in the cast are Virginia Welles, 'alter Abel, Katherine Alexander, Porter Hall d Edgar Buchanan. ^Another new company, Popular Pictures, Inc., |rmed recently by Harry Popkin and Edward eskay, launched "Ten Little Indians," from the tcessful play based on Agatha Christie's best|ler mystery novel. The cast includes Barry jtzgerald, Walter Huston, Louis Hayward, )land Young, Jane Duprez, Sir Aubrey Smith, dith Anderson, Mischa Auer, Richard Haydn d Queenie Leonard. Universal launched "Lady on a Train," which irs Deanna Durbin. Charles David is directing iT producer Felix Jackson and associate pro OTION PICTURE HERALD, JANUARY 27, 1945 ducer Frank Shaw. Others in the cast are Ralph Bellamy, David Bruce, Edward Everett Horton and Allen Jenkins. The two others started at Universal : "The Naughty Nineties" an Abbott and Costello comedy which Jean Yarbroiigh is directing for producers John Grant and Edmund Hartmann, and "Invitation to Death," a mystery-drama in the "Sherlock Holmes" series which features Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Roy William Neill is producer and director. Republic, Monogram and PRC Each Start One Republic started a Western, "Bells of Rosarita," with Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, Dale Evans, Adele Mara, the Sons of the Pioneers, and the Robert Mitchell Boy Choir. Frank McDonald dii-ects ; Eddy White is associate producer. Monogram started another in its "Charlie Chan" series, "The Robot Murder." Phil Rosen is directing for Producer James S. Burkett, and the cast includes Sidney Toler, Benson Fong, Mantan Moreland and Helen Devereaux. PRC's new Western is called "Enemy of the Law," and presents Tex Ritter, Dave O'Brien, Guy Wilkerson and Kay Hughes. Harry Eraser is directing the Alexander-Stern production. Personnel Intelligence About Hollywood RKO Radio has exercised its option on two of its producers, John H. Auer, who recently completed "Pan-Americana," and Val Lewton, who has a long list of films to his credit. . . . Albert Hackett will direct as well as write under the terms of a new Paramount contract just signed by Hackett and his wife, Frances Goodrich. The pair's next • assignment is "California," a drama of the gold rush days, which Harry Tugent will produce. . . . "The Country Fair," an original by Frank H. Young, vi^ill be the basis of the next in Monogram's "East Side Kids" series. Faye Emerson will have the leading feminine role opposite Zachary Scott in the Warner production, "Danger Signal." . . . "Tarzan and the Leopard Man," from an original by Carroll Young, will be the next in Sol Lesser's series which stars Johnny Weissmuller, Brenda Joyce and Johnny Sheffield. . . . Tito Guizar will be starred in "Mexicana," which Albert J. Cohen is to produce for Republic. The Pine-Thomas Paramount producing unit will make eight features during the current year, the first of which will be "Follow That Woman," starring William Gargan. . . . Chester Morris has signed a new contract with Columbia which calls for four more pictures in the next two years. . . . Erskine Caldwell has been signed by Ripley-Monter Productions to write the screenplay on "Look Homeward, Angel," which Arthur Ripley will direct and which is to be produced for Vanguard Films. Karloff Signs Three-Film Contract with RKO RKO Radio has signed Boris Karloff to a new contract, calling for three pictures during the next two years. . . . "Voodoo Queen," an original by William Lively, has been set as the first Monogram feature to star Acquanetta under her recent contract. . . . Margaret O'Brien will be starred in "The Face of Heaven," an original written for her by Robert Nathan. ■Joseph Pasternak will produce for MGM. . . . Nimnally Johnson will produce and write the screenplay for "Ashenden, British Agent," the Somerset Maugham story, as his next International picture. Frank Sully has been signed to a new Columbia contract, and will continue to appear in the studio's "Boston Blackie" series of mystery dramas. . . . Arthur Shields, brother of Barry Fitzgerald, has been signed to a long term Warner contract. His next assignment will be a featured role in "Too Young to Know," which stars Joan Leslie and Robert Hutton. . . . Ray Enright will direct "Man Alive," the Pat O'Brien film which Robert Fellows is to produce for RKO Radio. Five Cowboy Stars Guests In Republic Film Five cowboy stars will make guest appearances in Republic's "Bells of Rosarita." They are Bill Elliott, Don Barry, Alan Lane, Sunset Carson and Robert Livingston. . . . Universal has borrowed Ralph Bellamy from Hunt Stromberg for an important role in the current production, "Lady on a Train." . . . Barry Fitzgerald will play one of the principal parts in B. G. DeSylva's first Paramount production, "The Stork Club." This time the actor will portray a crusty millionaire. Joseph Gotten will be co-starred with Ingrid Bergman in "The Scarlet Lily," which William Dieterle will direct for David O. Selznick. 37