Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1939)

Page 26 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW April 8, 1939 STR West Coast Offices Guaranty Building 6331 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, Calif. Telephone, Hollywood 1390 Strollin' Thru the Studios Jean Parker, who recently played a leading role in Hal Roach's "Zenobia", will have the top feminine role in Monogram's "Her Father's Daughter", from the novel by Gene Stratton-Porter. June Storey has been signed to a term contract by Republic and will appear as the feminine lead in all the Gene Autry musical westerns. Miss Storey was Autry's leading lady in "Home on the Prairie" and is currently finishing "Blue Montana Skies". Claude Rains, Beulah Bondi and Ruth Donnelly join the cast of Frank Capra's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" this week. Columbia is virtually re-creating the national capital on six sound stages with an exact full-scale replica of the United States Senate. Actual filming started this week. Warner Bros, have officially stated that Jane Wyman will hereafter be the "Torchy Blane" in the series of that title. Miss Wyman will make at least four "Torchys", the first slated for immediate production. Gloria Dickson replaces her in "Light Horse Harrv", the Bert Wheeler film. Mervyn LeRoy is instituting a search for the most beautiful girl in America to typify the ideal Ziegfeld girl in MGM's forthcoming "The Ziegfeld Girl", from an original story by William Anthony McGuire. Applicants are requested to send photographs to LeRoy at the MGM studio. "Ordeal", sensational new novel by Nevil Shute, has been assigned to Sam Engel, associate producer, who will work under David O. Selznick's supervision at Selznick International. Winston Miller will prepare the adaptation for the screen. For the first time since she flashed to stardom, Sonja Henie will perform with a skating partner before the camera. 20th Century-Fox officials announced that Stewart Reburn has been signed as her skating partner for "Second Fiddle", in which she is co-starred with Tyrone Power. Larry Darniour's Columbia production, "Power to Kill", starring Jack Holt and featuring Gertrude Michael, went into production this week under the direction of Lew Collins. This is Miss Michael's first picture since her return from England. Producer Miguel C. Torres has announced that premieres of "Juarez and Maximilian" would be held in Hollywood, New York and Mexico City in the near future. The picture will introduce, for the first time to American audiences, Medea Novara, who stars in the production. "Miracle of Main Street", first directorial assignment for Steve Sekely, will get the starting gun at Grand National this week, with Margo heading the cast. The story is by Samuel Ornitz and Boris Ino-.ster. Rowland V. Lee moved "The Sun Never Sets" company at Universal to jungle location at Tarzana for two weeks' shooting. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Basil Rathbone, Virginia Field and Barbara O'Neil head the cast. William Boyd and Grace Bradley left for Lone Pine where they will occupy their ranch house during the production of Harry Sherman's next "Hopalong", "Lawful Outlaws", which gets the gun almost in the actor's front yard. Boyd stars and Russell Hayden, Britt Wood and Willard Robertson will appear in prominent roles. Lew Rachmil, who created the sets for "Fisherman's Wharf", has been re-signed by Principal Productions as art director on Bob Breen's next starring vehicle, "Way Down South". Rachmil will visit Mississippi and Georgia to make sketches of a number of old plantations, before starting work at the studio. Ben Goetz arrived in Hollywood this week for conferences with Louis B. Mayer and other MGM executives on pictures to be produced in England. Goetz recently completed "Goodbye, Mr. Chips", and will discuss building a laboratory in England. "The Road to Mandalay", with Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour and Bob Hope heading the cast, has been announced as a forthcoming production at Paramount. The "Mandalay" assignment will be Crosby's next, following "The Star Maker", which is scheduled to start next week. Steffi Duna, colorful Hungarian actress, has been awarded the top role opposite Leo Carrillo in RKO's presentation of "The Dove". The picture will be produced by Cliff Reid and directed by Lew Landers, with adaptation by Joseph Fields. Edward Small has sent the second unit to film exteriors for "The Man in the Iron Mask", to Beverly Canyon under the direction of Cullen Tate. The principals are working at General Service Studios with director James Whale. Borzage Checks in at Para. Frank Borzage checked in at Paramount last week where he is scheduled to direct "Disputed Passage", new Harlan Thompson production starring Dorothy Lamour, Akim Tamiroff and Robert Preston. The Lloyd C. Douglas best-seller adaptation will go before the cameras on April 17. His Newest Production Here is flic first print of a new Henry Koster production, already titled, "Robert". It ivas not on the regular Universal release schedule. Papa Roster's latest for the program was "Three Smart Girls Grow Up." He is now eagerly watching one small hoy grow up. "Cat and the Canary" Starring Bob Hope Goes Before Cameras In the eerie setting of a Louisiana bayou, "The Cat and the Canary", starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard, went into production last week at Paramount. In the cast are Douglass Montgomery, Gale Sondergaard, John Beal, Nydia Westman, Elizabeth Patterson, George Zucco and Willard Robertson. Elliott Nugent, who once played the leading role of the piece on the stage, is directing for Producer Arthur Hornblow Jr. Walter DeLeon, Lynn Starling and Frank Ryan are responsible for the screenplay. Curtiz Directs "Four Wives" Michael Curtiz, who directed "Four Daughters", will direct its sequel, "Four Wives", which is on the Spring production schedule at Warner Bros. The cast will be the same as in last year's popular success, with the exception of John Garfield, who died in the original picture. Problem Film director William Keigliley discusses a production problem on the set of "Each Daxvn I Die" at Warner Bros., with James Cagney, Victor Jory and two members of his staff, William A. Buckley and Frank Heath. Buckley, a Midwest prison officer, is technical adviser for the film. Fleath is Keighley's assistant.