Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1945)

tHE HOLLYWOOD SCENE "COMPLETED :OLUMBIA Joston Blackie Booked on Suspicion •RC adies of the Night (formerly "Undercover Girl") Enchanted Forest Stranger in the Family Ijniversal hat's the Spirit TARTED k^GM karly to Wed PARAMOUNT Follow That Woman (Pine-Thomas) RKO RADIO First Man into Tokyo REPUBLIC Santa Fe Saddlemates 20TH CENTURYFOX Junior Miss WARNERS Shadow of a Woman SHOOTING COLUMBIA Over 21 Kiss and Tell (Sol Siegel) MOM Yolanda and the Thief Harvey Girls Her Highness and the Bellboy Weekend at the Waldorf MONOGRAM County Fair Flaming Frontier PARAMOUNT Well Groomed Bride You Came Along (Hal Wallis) Masquerade in Mexico Cross My Heart (formerly "Too Good to Be True") RKO RADIO Most Dangerous Game (Jeorge White's Scandals of 1945 Man Alive Those Endearing Young Charms Spanish Main Invisible Army REPUBLIC Amazing Mr. M Bells of Rosarita 20TH CENTURYFOX Caribbean Mystery Two-Faced Quilligan Dolly Sisters State Fair Captain Eddie UNITED ARTISTS Paris — Underground (Bennett) Captain Kidd (Bogeaus) UNIVERSAL Strange Confession Naughty Nineties Lady on a Train Night in Paradise WARNERS Too Young to Know This Love of Ours Mildred Pierce Three Strangers INDEPENDENT Ten Little Indians (Popular Pictures, Inc.) 42 Pictures Are Shooting; Junior Miss" Started ^^ollytuood Bureau Only six new pictures went into work last week and, since five others were completed, the shooting index climbed one notch to reach |42. Continuing uncertain weather delayed starting dates on several outdoor action features. "Junior Miss," which had so long and successful a run as a stage play, went before jthe cameras at 20th Century-Fox with Peggy Ann Garner in the title role. William Perlberg is producing, Greorge Seaton directing, and others in the cast include Fay Marlowe, Allyn Joslyn, Barbara Whiting and Michael Francis. MGM launched "Early to Wed," with Lucille Ball, Van Johnson, Esther Williams, Keenan Wynn, Carlos Ramirez, Ben Blue, Cecil Kellaway, Gladys Cooper and June Lockart in a comedy with music concerning the misadventures of a newspaper reporter rnd an heiress. Eddie Buzzell is directing for producer Jack Cummings. At the Warner studio, work started on "Shadow of a Woman," a mystery-drama based on the best selling novel, "He Fell Down Dead," by Virginia Perdue. Andrea King, iHelmut Dantine and Craig Stevens head the cast, and William Jacobs is producing The film is Joseph Santley's first directorial effort iunder his now pact with the studio. ^Espionage in Tokyo Is Wheme of RKO Film RKO Radio's entry is "First Man into 'Tokyo," a story of espionage in the Oriertt. jj. Robert Bren is producing, Gordon Douglas directing. The cast includes Tom Neil, Barbara Hale, Keye Luke, Richard Loo and Marc Cramer. I Paramount producers Pine and Thomas put "Follow That Woman" before the cameras. It's a comedy-melodrama with William Gargan, Nancy Kelly, Regis Toomey, Byron Barr, Edward Gargan and Audrey Young. Lew Landers is the director. Republic launched a Western titled "Santa Fe Saddlemates," with Sunset Carson, Linda Stirling and Olin Howland. Thomas Carr is the associate producer and director. Warners has purchased "Serenade," controversial novel by James M. Cain, and as MOTION PICTURE HERALD. FEBRUARY 17. 1945 signed it to Jerry Wald for production ... Percy Marks' novel, "Knave of Diamonds," has been acquired by Universal and added to Joan Harrison's production schedule . . . "Payment Due," a psychological drama by Bert Hodgson, has been bought by the King Brothers, who will produce the film as a part of Monogram's 1944-45 program . . . James S. Burkett has purchased "Earthquake." a novel by Eric Benson-Hurst, and plans to film it in color. . . . Republic bought "Fighting Madonna," an original by Frank Wisbar. Personnel Intelligence About Hollywood Smiley Burnette, Western character star, has signed a contract with Columbia which calls for eight pictures a year for three years. He will be co-starred with Charles Starrett in all of them. . . Jack Jungmeyer, one-time story editor for Fox Film Corp., and long with Daily Variety as a reviewer, has been signed by Leon Fromkess as story editor of PRC . . . O. O. Dull is scheduled to produce MGM's film version of the novel "Army Brat," by Thomas D. Wadelton, Jr. Paramount has extended the contract of the writing team of Norman Panama and Melvin Frank for another year. . . William Beaudine has been signed to direct "Come Out Fighting," the next in Monogram's "East Side Kids" series . . . Frank Puglia and Fay Helm have been selected for featured roles in RKO Radio's mystery-drama, "The Falcon in San Francisco." Wallace MacDonald, Columbia producer, has signed a new seven-year contract with the studio . . . Jules Levey has signed Harold Shumate to write the screenplay for his forthcoming production, "The Homesteaders". . . Universal has lifted the options of producer Warren Wilson and actor Milburn Stone. Jack Holt, Out of Army, Is Signed for MGM Film Jack Holt, recently discharged from the Army, has been signed by MGM and will return to the screen in John Ford's forthcoming production, "They Were Expendable" . . . Earl Muntz, who won local fame as the "automotive madman," is in New York seeking a comedy for post-war film production . . . Another New York visitor is producer Andrew Stone, who is interviewing stage and night club entertainers for his forthcoming musical, "Pan-American Sensations of 1946," as well as shopping for possible film material. Turhan Bey will be starred by Universal in "Command to Love," which George Waggner will produce and direct. The film will be made in Technicolor . . . Dinah Shore and Harry James were honored at a luncheon when they were presented with awards as winners of Movieland magazine's 1944 music poll. Other winners, who were unable to be present at the award ceremony, were Frank Sinatra, Spike Jones and Glenn Miller . . . Marguerite Chapman will be starred in the Columbia musical, "Song of Broadway," which Burt Kelly is slated to produce. Charles Drake has been signed by Hal Wallis Productions for an important role in "You Came Along" . . . Acquanetta's second starring vehicle for Monogram will be "Belle of New Orleans" . . . Jeanne Grain has had her contract renewed by 20th Century-Fox . . . Arthur Dreifuss will direct the next in Columbia's "Boston Blackie" series, titled "Surprise in the Night." Glenn Ford has been selected for the leading male role opposite Bette Davis in "Stolen Life," which is scheduled to start shortly at Warners, with Curtis Bernhardt directing. Bogeaus Elected Member of Independent Producers Benedict Bogeaus, currently producing "Captain Kidd" for United Artists release, has been elected to membership in the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers . . . Aubrey Schenck has been elevated to full producer status at 20th Century-Fox, his first assignment will be "Shock," based on a story by Albert De Mond . . . Colbert Clark, producer, has been signed to a seven-year contract by Columbia. George Archainbaud has been assigned to direct "Girls of the Big House," for Republic. Herman Millakowsky will act as associate producer . . . James Gleason has been signed by Paramount for a featured role in "The WellGroomed Bride" . . . William Prince is set to play opposite Andrea King in the current Warner production, "Shadow of a Woman," based on Virginia Perdue's best selling mystery novel. Bruce Cabot has been signed by Jeffrey Bernerd for an important role in "Divorce," Monogram feature which Bernerd will co-produce with Kay Francis . . . "The Renegades," an outdoor drama depicting the early days of Kansas, has been placed on Michel Kraike's schedule at Columbia . . . Ralph Huston, formerly assistant publicity director for Cagney Productions, has joined Warners. 29