Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1943)

October 9, 194} SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 39 STR West Coast Offices 6777 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, Calif. Telephone, Hollywood 2055 PRODUCTION NOTES FROM THE STUDIOS Runyon to Produce Carmen Miranda Musical/ 20 fin-Fox Buys Tower of Steel' / Jackie Cooper in Monogram Film No Chairs for Director, Players In this off-stage scene from Samuel Goldwyn's forthcoming RKO Radio release, "The North Star," appear Director Lewis Milestone, heroine Anne Baxter, make-up artist Norbert Miles and boom man Tom Mitchell. Milestrne won't allow chairs on set, says people think better on feet. Vance King Appointed to Head New PRC Exploitation Department Leon Fromkess, vice-president in charge i>f production of PRC, iias announced the appointment of Vance King, film trade paper reporter and publicist, to a newly created studio exploitation department. For the last seven years King worked on motion picture trade papers, most of them with Quigley Publications, and has also handled publicity for three Awards events of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Ci eation of the studio exploitation department is ill line with the expansion of the PRC activities, which in recent weeks included the decision to produce six high-budget pictures on its own and the acquisition of its own studio, Fromkess said. Coburn Gets Important Role Charles Coburn has been signed by 20th Century-Fox for the part of "Prof. Poindexter Holmes" in "Wilson," a role second only in importance to that of the actor chosen ultimately to play the late president. "Wilson," scheduled to go before the cameras next month, will be the biggest picture ever undertaken by 20th-Fox. It will be filmed in Technicolor, and is expected to be in production for some eight months. Henry King will direct, with Darryl Zanuck personally producing the picture. Cugat Records Pasillo Xavier Cugat, one of the foremost interpreters of Latin American music, has recorded The Pasillo for MGAI's "Mr. Co-Ed." The Pasillo is a native Venezuelan rhythm which has been described as a waltz with a hot foot. The particular song. Alma Llanera, was sung by featured vocalist Lina Romay. The bandleader believes this type of music will take hold with American dance fans much as the rhumba and conga which he has helped popularize over a period of years. ►Makeshift air raid cellar in Columbia's "None Shall Escape," story of the post-war trials of Nazi leaders, which Andre de Toth directs, will have complete authenticity in a sequence which shows Polish civilians huddled in basements during a Nazi invasion raid in 1939. Technical Adviser Marek Libkov, Polish producer, lived through the actual experiences. ►Edgar Ulmer has been slated by PRC to next direct "No Bars — No Music," musical which will go into work next month at the former Fine Arts studio. Ulmer is now directing "Jive Junction," first picture to be made by PRC on its own. ►Zorina and George Raft are doing dance routines for "Three Cheers for the Boys," Charles K. Feldman's all-star production at Universal. Zorina will do a "jitterbug ballet" to I Feel a Song Coming On, with a line of chorus men behind her, and in the line will be George Raft. ►Catherine Lewis, screen mother of Our Gang's Froggy for three years, drew the same assignment in "Radio Bugs" which Bert Glazer is making for MGM. Player is a niece of "Chick" Lewis, editor and publisher of Showmen's TiLADE Review. ►Jackie Cooper has been signed for the starring role of "Where Are My Children," Monogram child delinquency drama, which went into production this week. William Nigh directs for Producer Jeffrey Bernard. It was necessary for Monogram to arrange with United States naval authorities for young Cooper's release from preliminary training at Loyola University, where he has been for the last five months, in order to get him to play this role. ►Helen Walker will have her portrait painted for "The Man in Half Moon Street," Paramount picture starring Miss Walker and Nils Asther. Unveiling of the portrait in the opening sequence of the picture sets the mood for the unusual story of a scientist who discovers, and loses, the secret of eternal youth, and the rich vivid painting holds the answer to a series of baffling events. ►"The Fighting Seabees" troupe starring John Wayne and featuring Susan Hayward and Daniel O'Keefe, have left for location. A second unit is already at the sea base filming exteriors for the Republic picture. Edward Ludwig is directing the high-budgeted story of the Navy's construction battalions, and Albert J. Cohen is producing. ►Herbert Kline, noted director of documentary films, including "Forgotten Village" and "The Spanish Earth," has been engaged by RKO as a writer with the Val Lewton production unit. Kline has been making pictures for Mexico. ►"A Tower of Steel," a new novel by Josephine Lawrence which will be published by Little Brown & Company in late Fall, has just been purchased by 20th Century-Fox. It is the story of American girls in business in time of war, and an early starting date is planned for the picturization. ►Arnold Pressburger has signed Erno Metzner as art director, Archie Stout as cameraman, and Rene Hubert as costume designer for the Rene Clair picture, "Tomorrow Never Comes," in which Dick Powell and Jack Oakie will costar. To be released through United Artists, the film is being written by Dudley Nichols. ►Otho Gaines, bass singer of Universal's Delta Rhythm Boys, will play the Negro sergeant engineer in the Free French army, in "The Imposter," produced and directed by Julian Duvivier with Jean Gabin as its star. ►William Demarest has been given a featured role in "Curly," the Columbia comedy co-starring Cary Grant and Janet Blair, which Al Hall is directing under the production eye of Lou Edelman. ►Producer Jack Schwarz is working out a personal appearance tour for Armida tying in with his PRC picture, "The Girl From Monterey," in which she stars. Schwarz recently signed Armida for a second picture which will be a musical with a South American locale, and the picture is scheduled for late Fall shooting. ►W. R. Frank has scheduled two songs by Arthur Guttman for the Viennese sequence in "Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels, His Life and Loves." One of the songs is a satire, called Hitler, Goering and Goebbels ; the other, Waltz Time Rendezvous. ►Sam Zimbalist, MGM producer, has returned to work after discussing his forthcoming production, "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo," with Washington. The picture, now in preparation, should start this Fall. ►William Beaudine has been assigned to the direction of "Hit Rhythm," Monogram filmusical, and October 23 has been set as the starling date, under the supervision of Lindsley Parsons. Original screenplay was written by Tim Ryan and Charles R. Marion. ►Five-year-old Billy Severn, who scored such a hit as Margaret O'Brien's shell-shocked little playmate in "Journey for Margaret," has been cast for a role in De Mille's "The Story of Dr. Wassell" at Paramount. ►Lou Greenberg, staff writer on an Atlantic City, N. J., newspaper, has been hired by Republic to do extensive research work on that studio's forthcoming musical "Atlantic City," scheduled for October production by Albert J. Cohen. ►Producer-director Tim Whelan and his associate, George Arthur, have finished the big RKO filmusical, "Higher and Higher," and it is scheduled for early Winter release. Cast includes Michele Morgan, Jack Haley, Frank Sinatra, Leon Errol and others. ►Damon Runyon, famous newspaper columnist and writer, has been assigned by 20th CenturyFox to produce Carmen Miranda's ne.xt musical, a rollicking Latin tale called "Chica Chico," which, translated, means boy and girl. ►David O. Selznick has announced that Agnes Morehead, late of the Mercury Theatre group, and still taking bows for her performance in "The Magnificent Ambersons," will play the role of Emily in "Since You Went Away."