Showmen's Trade Review (Jul-Sep 1942)

August 8, 1942 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 43 UOLL¥l¥OOD STUDIO ROUND-UP They started rolling nine new picture this week: COLUMBIA HOW DO YOU DO? — Principals: Bert Gordon, Jinx Falkenburg, Douglass Drake. Director, Charles Barton. METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER PRESENTING LILY MARS— Principals : Judy Garland, George Murphy. Director, Norman Taurog. MONOGRAM BOWERY AT MIDNIGHT— Principals : Bela Lugosi. Director, Wallace Fox. PRODUCERS SECRETS OF A CO-ED — Principals: Otto Kruger, Tina Thayer, Ricki Vallin. Director, Joseph Lewis. ALONG THE SUNDOWN TRAIL— Principals : Lee Powell, Art Davis, Bill Boyd, Julie Duncan. Director, Peter Stewart. RKO-RADIO CAT PEOPLE — Principals: Simone Simon, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph. Director, Jack Tourneur. 20th CENTURY-FOX LIFE BEGINS AT 8 : 30— Principals : Monty WooUey, Ida Lupino, Cornel Wilde. Director, Irving Pichel. UNDYING MONSTER— Principals: John Howard, James Ellison, Heather Angel. Director, John Brahm. UNIVERSAL SHADOW OF A DOUBT — Principals: Teresa Wright, Joseph Gotten, Macdonald Carey, Patricia Collinge. Director, Alfred Hitchcock. TITLE CHANGES "Prelude to Glory" (Para.) now LUCKY JORDAN. "Sherlock Holmes Saves London" (Univ.) now SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE VOICE OF FEAR. Music Expert for Russian Films Ben Nadel, music expert for the balalaika, I will train Bob Hope on how to play the instru' ment for a Moscow scene in "They Got Me Covered." Nadel is also scheduled to go to work in three other Russian locale pictures, "The Russian Girl," "Miss M. From Moscow" ' and "Mission to Moscow." Paramount Busy Signing 'Em Up In the past week Paramount has signed two directors, Ralph Murphy and John Farrow; two players, Barbara Britton and Elliott Reed; j an artist and designer, Raoul Rene Du Bois, and a writer, M. F. K. Fisher, the woman who authored the non-fiction best seller, "How to ; Cook a Wolf." Gilpin Gets Post With Stromberg With the appointment of Joseph Gilpin, formerly with Warners and Columbia, as production manager, Hunt Stromberg's new company is rapidly getting into stride for filming an impressive 1942-43 schedule of pictures. I Mary Astor Signs MGM Pact Mary Astor has signed a term contract with MGM and starts her first assignment at the studio August 15, in an as yet untitled picture. Miss Astor recently completed "Across the Pacific" and "Palm Beach Story." Santley Assigned to 'Pidgeons' Joseph Santley will direct "Mr. M. and the Pidgeons" for Republic. Ingrid Bergman Gets Prize Maria Role in 'For Whom Bell Tolls' With results that the studio would describe only as "wonderful" following a screen test this week, Ingrid Bergman has been signed by Paramount to enact the role of Maria in "For Whom the Bell Tolls," replacing Vera Zorina. Miss Bergman, under contract to David O. Selznick, had been Author Ernest Hemingway's own first nomination to portray the character in his story. After two days of production on location near Sonora, Calif., Director Sam Wood expressed himself as dissatisfied with Miss Zorina's characterization, suggested to the studio he would like to have Miss Bergman. Before consenting to the change, however, and in an attempt to salvage the services of their valuable star, Paramount again tested Miss Zorina in new make-up. The Bergman test took place over the weekend. Meanwhile, Paramount plans to star Miss Zorina in the Somerset Maugham story, "The Hour Before Dawn." The next few months for the actress will be busy ones, officials said, for she has many chores to complete. Director Ratoff Utilizes Theatre For Scenes in Forthcoming Picture Crowded conditions on Columbia stages, where six pictures are filming, made it necessary for Gregory Ratoff to shoot part of his picture at the Mayan Theatre. Arrangements have also been completed for use of the adjoining Belasco Theatre where David Lichine and a chorus of dancers will rehearse while new settings are being installed at the Mayan. The picture, "Something to Shout About," will co-star Jack Oakie, Don Ameche and Janet Blair, and will feature Cole Porter music. Hazel Scott, well-known New York actress, will also appear in it. General Motors' Film for Employes The 25,000 war workers in General Motors plants will be shown a picture which the company will produce especially for them. The picture, "This Precious Freedom," is adapted from the radio play which won nation-wide acclaim when it was voted the best radio play of 1941. Starring Claude Rains, it is being directed by its author, Arch Oboler. It tells the shocking story of what would happen to an American family in the event of foreign occupation, and will be shown free to GM employes and their families in theatres in their home towns during September and October. Columbia Buys 'Crime Doctor' Right In a deal just negotiated, Columbia has acquired screen rights to Max Marcin's popular radio program, "The Crime Doctor," and has signed Warner Baxter to star in a series of pictures to be based on the air feature. Baxter will appear as "The Crime Doctor" in two of the dramatic films each year. Ralph Cohn, whose unit also produces the "Ellery Queen" series, will produce. Universal Team Barrymore, Donlevy Universal has paired Diana Barrymore and Brian Donlevy in "Nightmare" which will elevate Dwight Taylor, former screen writer, to the ranks of producers. Tim Whelan has been signed to direct the feature which marks the third picture handed Miss Barrymore since she signed with Uiiiversal. W A II i: U 1 i\ u A K O IJ ]\ U nOLLVWOOD Jerry Dale, publicity mentor at Hal Roach's, took us on the set for "Yanks Ahoy," a freighter so exact that the sights and smells stirred nostalgic memories of boat trips we had taken. It was interesting to see them create fog by using compressed air on mineral oil. They've named the ship S.S. Montague, after 'Ed Montagne, the assistant director. Montagne told ]erry he had a cold, thereby supplying material for Jerry to write about, but Jerry just shook his head. Nothing less than pneumonia for a good story. They have no stars' dressing rooms on the Roach lot and Marjorie Woodworth, their femme star, sits around with the rest of the cast when she isn't working and takes a constant ribbing with rare good humor. Ginger Rogers has made as many friends on the sets as she has among the fans. Talking to Diana Lynn, a charming youngster of 15 ivho has just been cast in the Henry Aldrich pictures as the girl friend, the one thing that stood out clearly in her mind was the aid and comfort and advice she received from Ginger zvhen she was zvorking in "The Major and the Minor." Diana got her first job in "There's Magic in Music" quite by accident when, as an accompanist, the director worked her in for a piano solo. It's good to see a smart kid and a sweet one, coming along. A scene from RKO's "Ladies Day" will show ten players, including Max Baer, Patsy Kelly, Carmen Morales and Iris Adrian in a space about 10 ft. X 10 ft. In the remaining 10 ft. x 20 ft. of the set were crowded 23 people, 3 heavy light stands, the camera, the mike boom and platform, a large stand with hand controls, a sofa and a chair. It's lucky Iris Adrian throws her boy friend around in the small space, because she takes her job seriously and almost throws dozvn the set. You can get another player, but ivhere ivill you get another mike or cameraf Producer-Director Edward H. Griffith announces that the story of the heroic exploits of Dr. Anna Rozelkov on last winter's battlefront is being written by Marjorie E. Smith, author of "No Bed of Roses." LeRoy Prim, dance director on Warner Bros.' Technicolor "Desert Song," was forced to use girls instead of men in a chorus. Tch, tch. To overcome his chagrin, he picked his chorines to average 20 pounds more than previous choruses. A Hollywoodian, now through the tempest, is waiting for certain people to come to him so he can quote Shylock in "The Merchant of V enice," when he asks, "Shall I bend low and in a bondman's key With bated breath and whispering humbleness, Say this, 'Fair sir, you spit on me on Wednesday last; You spurn'd me such a day ; another time You called me dog; and for these courtesies I'll lend you thus much monies'?"