Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1940)

Page 20 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW January 27, 1940 STR West Coast Offices Guaranty Building 6331 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, Calif. Telephone, Hollywood 1390 . . . Program Notes From the Studios . . . Rx'SSELL (Lucky) Hayden has been resigned b}' Producer Harry Sherman to appear in the six "Hopalong Cassidy" pictures and two Zane Grey fihns for the 1940-41 program. Hayden will continue in the top supporting role in the "Hopalongs" which feature William Boyd. Republic has taken up its option on Lois Ranson. who appeared in the last Higgins Family picture, "Money to Burn". Her next assignment will be the next Higgins film, "Grandpa Goes to Town" which Gus Meins will direct. Norm.a Shearer will star in MGM's "Forever", from an original stor\' by Mildred Cram. Sidney Franklin, who directed Miss Shearer in two previous successes, "The Barretts of \A'impole Street" and "Smilin' Through", brings the fihn to the screen. June Lockhart, 14-year-old daughter of Gene and Kathleen Lockhart, will make her screen debut in support of Bette Davis and Charles Boyer in "All This and Heaven Too" at Warner Bro.>. The picture is scheduled to go before the cameras in a few days under the direction of Anatole Litvak. AIarjorie Weaver has been assigned to the feminine lead and Lionel Atwill one of the featured roles in "Charlie Chan's Oriental Cruise", with Sidney Toler again in the title role. The picture will roll late this month at 20th Century-Fox under the direction of Eugene Forde. John Stone is associate producer. With the signing of Martha Scott and William Holden, Producer Sol Lesser has completed his cast of principals for "Our Town", his first production for LTnited Artists release. Others signed are Fay Bainter, BeuLAH Bondi, Guy Kibbee, Thomas Mitchell, Stuart Erwin and Frank Craven. Sam Wood is directing. Eugene Pallette has been signed by Universal for a featured role in "It's A Date", marking his third consecutive appearance with Deanna Durbin, Milton Kibbee and Williai\[ Ruhl were also added to the cast. Lloyd Nolan returns to Paramount for a role in Cecil B. De Mille's "North West Mounted Police", the studio's forthcoming Technicolor production. Nolan joins Gary Cooper, Joel McCrea, Madeleine Carroll, Robert Preston, Akim Tamiroff and Lynne Overman in the historical drama. LeRoy Prinz, Hollywood dance director, is rehearsing Jean Arthur, Melvyn Douglas and Fred MacMurray for some humorous dance routines for "Too Many Husbands", Wesley Ruggles' first picture for Columbia. James Roosevelt is negotiating with Warner Bros, for a loan of Claude Rains for one of the principal roles in his first picture, "The Bat". Roosevelt is dickering with other top names and a top director for the production. L^niversal's "Sandy Is a Lady", will be directed by Charles Lamont with starting date scheduled for January 29th. The cast, besides "Baby Sandy" includes Mischa Auer, Billy Lenh,'\rt and Kenneth Brown. This will be Lamont's third film starring "Sandy". James Ellison has been assigned the male lead, opposite Lucille Ball, in RKO's "The Romantic Mr. Hinklin", set to go before the cameras immediately, under the direction of Ray McCarey. Henry Hathaway, currently directing 20th Century-Fox's "Dance With the Devil", h^as been set at the same studio to direct "Brigha'm Young". The deal was made with Paramount where Hathaway is under contract. As a result of his splendid work in "A Bill of Divorcement", Patric Knowles has been signed to a long term contract by RKO. The young British-born actor also will be remembered for fine portrayals in "The Spellbinder". "Five Came Back", "The Honeymoon's Over" and "Another Thin Man". The next two pictures on Hal Roach's United Artists schedule will be "Turnabout" and "Captain Caution". "Turnabout" is scheduled to go before the cameras around the middle of February with an all-star cast under Roach's direction. Testing Deanna's Makeup Cinematographer Joe Valentine, iiTio has photographed all six of Deanna Durbin's hits, tests the star's new makeup for Universal's "It's A Date" through his light meter. Fine Arts Signs Directors Franklyn \\'arner, head of Fine .\rts Producing and Distributing Corporation, has signed Phil Rosen to direct "At Your Age", and Otis Garrett to direct "If This Be Treason", the first two productions to get under way. W.arner is completing arrangements for his new distributing organization, and expects to start the cameras rolling within the next two weeks. Cromwell Directs "Susie Slagle's" John Cromwell, who just completed "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" for RKO, has been signed by Paramount to direct the screen version of Augusta Tucker's novel, "Miss Susie Slagle's", which Arthur Hornblow will produce. Four Stars in "Mortal Storm" Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Robert Young and Frank SIorgan have been assigned the leading roles in AIGM.'s "The Mortal Storm", a dramatic story of the disintegration of a happy community in present-da\" Germany. Adapted to the screen from the novel by Phyllis Bottome, the picture will be produced by Sidney Franklin and directed by Frank Borz.age. Robinson in Comedy Edward G. Robinson's next assignment at \\'arner Bros, will be "Brother Orchid", a comedy based on an original storj by Richard Connell. The picture will start when Robinson returns from New York and the world premiere there of "The A'lagic Bullet", in which he portrays Dr. Paul Ehrlich. Mowbray Joins "Curtain Call" Alan Mowdray has been added to the cast of RKO's "Curtain Call" scheduled to go before the cameras next week. Barbara Read and John Archer will play the romantic leads under the direction of Frank Woodruff. Howard Benedict produces. Star Honored Bette Davis, Warner star, is honored by a reception given her by Redbook Magazine folloning presentation of its annual award for the most distinguished contribution to motion pictures during the past year. Left to right are Douglas W. Churchill, motion picture editor of Redbook: Hedda Hopper, Ralph Morgan, Bette Davis and Jean Hersholt.