Showmen's Trade Review (Jul-Sep 1942)

28 SHOWMEN'ST R A D E REVIEW July 4, 1942 STR West Coast Offices 10424 Bloomfield St. North Hollywood, Calif. Telephone, Sunset 1-6292 PROGRAM NOTES FROM THE STUDIOS '^Journey for Margaret" Starts at MGM/ Sheridan Gibney Collaborating with Leo McCarey/ Basil Rathbone in 'Kim' ► Joe E. Brown's new picture, "The Daring Young Man," began at Columbia this week, with Frank R. Strayer directing the Robert Sparks production. The comedian is supported by Claire Dodd and a number of contract players. y Lyle Talbot and Glenda Farrell have been signed jar the leads in "A Night for Crime" by Producers Releasing Corp. The picture zvill be directed by Alex Thurn-Taxis as a Lester Cutler production, based on an original story by Jimmie Starr. Pine-Thomas loaned Ralph Sanford to P.R.C. for this one. ► W. S. Van Dyke is now directing the B. P. Fineman production, "Journey for Margaret," at MGM. The film is based on the novel of William L. White, noted war correspondent, and will have as its stars Robert Young and Laraine Day, with such famous supporters as Fay Bainter, Nigel Bruce, and the Swedish actress, Signe Hasse. ► Producer Lindsley Parsons has signed John Archer and Warren Hymer for roles in Monogram's "Police Bullets" ivhich Jean Yarbrough is directing. The picture stars Joan Marsh. Archer is a "Gatcivay to Hollywood" zvinner. ► Harry Sherman has purchased "Wherever the Grass Grows," a Saturday Evening Post story, for one of four Richard Dix pictures on Sherman's Paramount schedule. y Producer-Director Leo McCarey now has the collaboration of Sheridan Gibney, zvho ivas originally hired to do the screenplay of "Once Upon a Honeymoon," the Gary Grant-Ginger Rogers starrer. The McCarey-Gilmey setup is in line zvifh the conservation suggestion by zvh'ich scenes and scene-retakes arc reduced. ► Howard Hawk's direction of Hal B. Wallis' production, "Air Force," for MGM, will bring together in pictures Harry Carey and his wife, Ollie, after a 14-year layoff for Mrs. Carey. The picture will star John Garfield, and will top-role Gig Young and George Tobias. y Walter Wangcr's "Arabian Nights" zvill probably be all of that zvhen the cast is complete, as it already has Maria Montcz, Jon Hall and Sabu as principals, zvith Billy Gilbert, John Qualen, Shemp Howard, Jeni LeGon, six virgins, acrobats, and jugglers, as part of the supporting cast. ► Robert Buckner's Warner Bros, production of "The Desert Song" which Robert Florey is directing, has been on location for several weeks. The cast includes Dennis Morgan, Irene Manning, Jack LaRue, Faye Emerson, Lynne Overman, Bruce Cabot, Gene Lockhart, and Victor Francen, star of the Comedie Francaise. ► Colbert Clark is readying Columbia's "The Boogie Man Will Get You," co-starring vehicle for Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre, and hopes to get started by July 6th, the date originally set for it on the studio's schedule. Romantic leads in the Picture zvill go to Jeff Donnell and Larry Parks. Off to Work They Go To the set of Universal's "Forever Yours" go Deanna Durbin, Edmond O'Brien (left) and Director Jean Renoir. For a peek behind the scenes in the filming of this production, see "Mrs. Showman Goes Studio Strolling" on next page. ► Ricardo Cortez and Jean Parker will be starred in "I'll Be There," an Atlantis Pictures production for Producers Releasing Corp. ► Victor Saville of MGM, producing "Kim" zvith Mickey Rooney, has assigned the important role of "Colonel Creighton" to Basil Rathbone, zvho zvas a British officer in the first World Jl'ar. Meamvhilc, George Seits has been directing the nezv Hardy family opus, "Andy Hardy's Last Fling," zvith Mickey in the title role. ► Monogram's scripters have turned in stories for Bela Lugosi, and the East Side Kids. The first will be called "Bowery at Midnight," and the second will be called "Grand Street Boys." ))■ Lcivis D. Collins is directing Universal's "Little Joe, the W rangier" for Producer Oliver Drake. The zvestcrn co-stars Johnny Mack Brown and Tex Ritter. and displays the talents of Florence McKinncy. radio singer, and Hal Taliaferro, once knozvn as Wally Wales. ► Arthur Kober and Harry Kurnitz will collaborate on the Samuel Goldwyn screenplay, "They Got Me Covered," starring Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. When the re-write of the Leonard Spigelgass and Leonard Q. Ross original is completed, David Butler will direct. ► With the "Desperadoes" in the field in Kanab, Utah, Director Charles Vidor and Producer Harry Joe Brozvn asked the cast to go to bed at nine o'clock. Just as an afterthought, the cast is expected to report for work at seven in the morning and have enough sleep behind them so they can work all day. Randolph Scott, Glenn Ford, Evelyn Keycs, Claire Trevor and Edgar Buchanan hold the lead parts. RKO Will Distribute Education for Death RKO-Radio, in a deal involving one of the most timely story properties of the year, announces that it will distribute Edward A. Golden's production based on Gregor Ziemer's best seller "Education for Death." The work is based on Ziemer's research and experiences during twelve years spent inside Nazi Germany in the study of Hitler's methods of indoctrinating the youth of his country with his grim ideology. Golden has been prominent in motion pictures since 1914 as an independent producer and distributor. He will finance and produce the screen adaptation of "Education for Death" at RKORadio's Hollywood studio. The production is scheduled to start about August 19th, with an important cast soon to be announced. Producer Cowan Trying to Find Actor to Play Role of 'Hangman' In spite of the fact that the person needed requires no references or special technical skill in hanging people, Producer Lester Cowan is having difificulty finding an actor who looks like the late, unlamented Reinhard Heydrich, Hitler's "hangman." "The Commandos" for which the actor is needed, was to have been shot in .British Columbia, as that territory bears a resemblance to the Norwegian coast. However, since the Japs did their shooting there first, negotiations were slowed up. Army Titles To Be Recorded Complete cooperation between the War Department and the Motion Picture Industry, to assure authoritative treatment of army material on the screen, and the practical methods of expediting this Drocedure, have been announced. Purposes of the Title-Subject Registration File, as explained by Colonel Wrieht, Chief of the Pictorial Branch, are to make certain that the army is correctly portrayed before the world ; to aid the studios by providing a priority list of titles and subjects ; and to be of the utmost service to the American motion picture industry. Disney, Monogram in About Face Monogram has announced that their picture "King of the Stallions" will be almost entirely an animal picture, with such characters as a horse, a raven, an owl, a wolf, and a skunk. On the other hand, in producing "Victory Through Air Power," Walt Disney will eschew animals entirely. Though the picture will be animated it will show planes, bombings and other types of aerial action. Hope for October Release Cagney Productions, Inc., new firm formed by William Cagney and James Cagney which recently signed a long-term contract to release through United Artists, hopes to get its cameras rolling soon, with the object of releasing by October the first of six pictures on which $6,000,000 is expected to be expended. The new outfit has been negotiating for administrative and sound space and reviewing many stories.