Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1946)

THE HOLLYWOOD SCENE COMPLETED RKO RADIO Sister Kenny REPUBLIC Invisible Informer 20TH CENTURYFOX Cluny Brown Anna and the King of Siam STARTED COLUMBIA One Life Too Many MGM The Show-Off PRC Avalanche (Imperial Films) PARAMOUNT Danger Street (PineThomas) REPUBLIC My Pal, Trigger WARNERS Very Rich Man SHOOTING COLUMBIA Story of Jolson Devil's Mask INTERNATIONAL Dark Mirror MGM You Were There Till the Clouds Roll By MONOGRAM In High Gear PARAMOUNT O. S. S. Perfect Marriage (Wallis) RKO RADIO Likely Story Desirable Woman Double Trouble Crack-Up REPUBLIC Man from Rainbow Valley Ghost Goes Wild Inner Circle 20TH CENTURYFOX Margie It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog Shocking Miss Pilgrim Three Little Girls in Blue UNITED ARTISTS Mr. Ace and the Queen (Bogeaus) Strange Woman (Stromberg) Angel on My Shoulder (Rogers) UNIVERSAL Love Takes a Holiday Shahrazad Dressed to Kill WARNERS The Sentence Humoresque 34 Pictures Shooting; Skelton Film Starts Hollywood Bureau Production activity increased slightly during the week, as six new films were started and four others completed. At the weekend, the total number of pictures in work was 34, compared with 32 the preceding week. Production started at MGM on "The Show-Off," which stars Red Skelton in his first screen role since his discharge from the armed forces. Others in the cast include Marjorie Main, Virginia O'Brien, Leon Ames, Marshall Thompson and Rochester. The picture, based on George Kelly's Broadway success of some years back, is Al Lewis' initial producing venture. Harry Beaumont is directing. Warners launched "A Very Rich Man," starring Sydney Greenstreet, Martha Vickers and Dane Clark, with Alan Hale and Craig Stevens in supporting roles. Charles Hoffman produces; Frederick de Cordova directs. "My Pal, Trigger," Republic's latest Roy Rogers starring film, went before the cameras at the Valley studio with Armand Schaefer producing and Frank Macdonald directing. Columbia Picture Marks Return of Brooks Columbia's new venture is "One Life Too Many," a melodrama which marks the return to the screen of Leslie Brooks. The male leads are George Macready and Forrest Tucker. Leonard Picker is producing the film, which is John Sturges' first directorial assignment. At PRC, "Avalanche," initial production of Imperial Films, got under way with Bruce Cabot in the starring role, and Roscoe Karns, Helen Mowery and Philip Van Zandt in supporting roles. Irving Allen is the director ; Pat Di Cicco the producer. Cameras were trained on "Danger Street," latest production of Paramount's PineThomas unit, in which Lew Landers is directing Jane Withers and Robert Lowery. Samuel Goldwyn is planning to film the life of the late Dr. Susan M. Dorsey, superintendent of Los Angeles public schools. . . . With the signing of Elwood Ullman to do the screenplay for "Nightingale," Comet Productions now has four screenplays in preparation. Co-producers Buddy Rogers and Ralph Cohn expect to make "Little Iodine," on which Richard Landau is doing the screenplay, their first production. Next will come a Cinecolor feature, "Adventures of Don Coyote" and "Hotel for Brides." Republic has signed Eddie Albert to a contract, and assigned him a starring role in "Rendezvous with Annie," Alan Dwan's initial production for the studio. . . . Philip Friend, British stage and screen star, has been signed to a long term contract by Vanguard Films. . . . Jane Greer has been chosen by RKO for the second feminine lead in "Sinbad the Sailor," Technicolor special, which will star Maureen O'Hara and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Ivan Moffat, who aided George Stevens in filming many of the latter's most noteworthy Signal Corps missions while in the Army overseas, has been engaged by Liberty Films as a writer and associate producer. . . . Steve Cochran is set for a top role in Samuel Goldwyn's next production, "Glory for Me." . . . Stephanie Bachelor has been signed for a major role in "The Ghost Goes Wild," now shooting at Republic. Sundberg to Make Debut In Tracy MGM Film Dancers Veloz and Yolanda, and Enric Madriguera and his orchestra have been engaged by Columbia to appear in "Rendezvous in Rio," which will star Ann Miller. . . . Clinton Sundberg, who appeared with Spencer Tracy in last year's Broadway play, "The Rugged Path," will make his screen debut in MGM's "You Were There," which co-stars Katharine Hepburn and Robert Taylor. . . . James Gleason has been signed by 20th Century-Fox for a starring role in "Home Sweet Homicide," which Louis D. Lighton is to produce, and Lloyd Bacon to direct. Vera Hruba Ralston and William Elliott are set for starring spots in Republic's epic of the Pony Express days, "The Plainsman and the Lady," which Joseph Kane will produce and direct. . . . Curt Siodmak is currently preparing the screenplay for "The Dark Tower," which William Jacobs vyill produce for Warners. . . . Hunt Stromberg and Jack Chertok have engaged Edgar Ulmer to direct "Dishonored Lady," in which Hedy Lamarr will star. King Plans Gangster Film Based on Verne Story The King Brothers are planning to film "Man in the Moon," a gangster drama with the moon as its setting, and based on the novel by Jules Verne, for Monogram release. . . . Columbia has purchased Cornell Woodlrich's magazine story, "All at Once, No Alice," and will use it as the basis for one of the studio's "Crime Doctor" series, under the title "Coffin Corner." . . . Regis Toomey has been chosen for the leading male role in RKO's forthcoming drama dealingwith domestic relations, "Child of Divorce." Mildred Cram has been engaged by Benedict Bogeaus and Casey Robinson to collaborate with the latter on the screenplay for "The Life and Loves of Anna Pavlova," in which Tamara Toumanova will be starred. . . . Robert Scott and Marc Piatt have had their Columbia contracts extended. . . . Steve Sekely has engaged Bradbury Foote to work on the script of "The Fabulous Suzanne," which Sekely will produce and direct for Republic. Noel Madison is forming his own producing company to film Patrick Hamilton's play, "Rope.". . . "High School Scandals" will be the title of the second in Monogram's "Teen-Agers" series. . . . William Frambes has been added to the cast of "The Shocking Miss Pilgrim," now shooting at 20th Century-Fox. Kapit Forms General Film Harry A. Kapit, president and executive producer, has announced the formation of General Film Productions, Inc., New York, to produce a variety of shorts. MOTION PICTURE HERALD. FEBRUARY 23, 1946 37