Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1942)

Page 26 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW May 9, 1941 STR West Coast Offices 10424 Bloomfield St. North Hollywood, Calif. Telephone, Sunset 1 -6292 PROGRAM NOTES FROM THE STUDIOS Ronald Colman, Greer Garson Report for^Random Harvest'/ Lukas Engaged for 'Watch on Rhine'/ Cantor at Warners Ronald Colman and Greer Garson have reported to MGM for the top roles in "Random Harvest," which marks their third costarring appearance in a James Hilton story. With Mervyn LeRoy, scheduled to direct, Eddie Cantor is due at Warner Bros. Donna Reed, Edmund Gwenn, Philip Dorn studio next week to begin preparation for and Reginald Owen will be featured. filming "Banjo Eyes," adapted from the stage hit of the same title. Jerry Wald that she is now ready to resume her starring role. During her absence, musical numbers of the film were completed. Effort to secure Edward H. Griffith to direct "The Commandos" has been started by producer Lester Cowan. The picture, detailing the exploits of England's raiding soldiers, will star Paul Muni and will be released by Columbia. Loaned by Warner Bros., Ray Enright will direct "Deep in the Heart of Texas" for Universal. ZaSu Pitts checked in at MGM for a featured role in "Tish." Guy Kibbee has also been signed for one of the top roles. Alexis Smith has been assigned the feminine lead opposite Errol Flynn in "Gentleman Jim Corbett" by Warner Bros. This is the second time this team has been paired; the first time in "Dive Bomber." Producers Releasing Corp. has signed Robert Armstrong to play a lead role in "Turn on the Heat." Paul Lukas has been engaged by Warner Bros, to star in Hal B. Wallis' next production, the film version of the Broadway stage hit, "Watch on the Rhine." Star of the stage play, Lukas will be joined in Hollywood by Herman Shumlin, producer-director of the show, who has been signed to direct the picture. Production is scheduled to start June 1. Recovering from illness which forced her out of "The Hard Way" midway during production, Ida Lupino notified producer Advertisement Columbia has signed Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, noted radio and recording group, to co-star with Russell Hayden in a new series of eight western features now being prepared by Irving Briskin. George Cukor has been chosen by MGM to direct Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in "Keeper of the Flame." Assignment will renew the Cukor-Hepburn association. Ten years ago he directed her in "Bill of Divorcement," which practically made her an immediate star. Later Cukor directed Miss Hepburn in "Little Women," "The Philadelphia Story" and "Holiday." Leading role in "Journey for Margaret," a true-to-life, human-interest war story scheduled for early production by MetroGoldwyn-Mayer, has been awarded Robert Young. Julie Duncan has been signed for the principal feminine role in "Texas Trouble Shooters," Monogram's "Range Busters" western, which started April 30. Ray Corrigan, John King and Max Terhune are featured. S. Roy Luby is directing for producer George Weeks. Raymond Walburn, outstanding as one of the political grafters in "Louisiana Purchase," will return to Paramount for a leading role in "Lady Bodyguard" which will star Anne Shirley and Eddie Albert. Walburn will play an actor of the old school. Gregory Ratoff is trying to sign Jack Oakie to a two-picture deal to co-star in Ratoff Productions, which will be released through Columbia. Following completion of "Me and My Gal" at MGM, George Murphy will report to RKO-Radio to begin preparations for "Shore Leave." Sidney Skolsky has joined the Mark Hellinger writing unit at Warner Bros. Assignment calls for him to do special research in addition to writing on "Mississippi Belle." He will continue his daily Hollywood newspaper column. Victor Mature will be featured by 20th Century-Fox in "Sioux City," to be made in Technicolor, with Bryan Foy producing. Much of the story being written by Lawrence Hazard will be photographed at distant locations. Allan Jones has been signed by Universal for three pictures. In the first, "You're For Me," he will be featured with Irene Hervey. Hollywood executives tendered a luncheon to Lieut-Gen. H. H. Arnold last week. Shown above in conversation with the commander of U. S. air forces is Lieut-Col. Jack L. Warner (right), Warner Bros, vice-president in charge of production. Menzies at Paramount William Cameron Menzies, Academy Awardwinning production designer of "Gone With the Wind" and other grand-scale pictures, has reported to Paramount for work with the studio staff on the Technicolor production of Ernest Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls," which Sam Wood will direct. Anne Shirley in Feminine Lead Anne Shirley now has the feminine lead ini Paramount's "Lady Bodyguard," replacing Ellen Drew, who has come down with flu. Donald McBride, who starred in the stage version of "Room Service," is another addition to the cast of the picture. McDonald to Direct Air Film Picking up his option, William Pine and William Thomas have assigned Frank Mc Donald to direct "Interceptor Command." The film marks the fifth consecutive production McDonald has handled for the PineThomas Paramount production unit. I Vorhaus for Mce-Capades' Bernard Vorhaus has been named to direct "Ice-Capades," Republic's annual steel-blade extravaganza. With Robert North serving as associate producer, the picture will go before the cameras the latter part of May. Cast Opposite Western Star Continuing the family tradition started by her father, Jack Holt, and carried on by brother Tim, Jennifer Holt will be seen opposite Johnny Mack Brown in Universal s "The Silver Bullet." Jesse Lasky, Jr., in Army Jesse L. Lasky, Jr., eldest son of Jesse L. Lasky, producer of "Sergeant York" for Warner Bros., reported to Astoria, N. Y., April 30. He is a 2nd Lieutenant in the U. S. Signal Corps. Fu Manchu Turning Hero When "Fu Manchu Strikes Again" goes into production at Republic this summer, the Chinese villain created by Sax Rohmer will be seen as a hero for the first time.