Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1944)

June 24, 1944 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 59 Alperson Acquires Screen Rights To Maugham's The Razor's Edge' Edward L. Alperson announced, upon his arrival at the west coast Wednesday, that he had secured the sole and exclusive optional motion picture rights to Somerset Maugham's current novel, "The Razor's Edge." Alperson will place "The Razor's Edge" in production following "Sheppey Goes to Heaven" based on Maugham's play, "Sheppey," and an original musical, "Television Parade," both of which will be released by United Artists. Da Silva Signs With Paramount Because of his performance as the brutal captain in "Two Years Before the Mast," Howard Da Silva has been signed by Paramount to a long-term contract. The seven-year deal provides that Da Silva may use the second and fifth years to do New York stage plays. Before his appearance in the New York stage hit, "Oklahoma," Da Silva had appeared in several features and shorts for Warner Bros. Wheelwright Now a Producer Ralph Wheelwright, author of three original screen stories and for the past 15 months on the writing staff of the MGM studio publicity department, has been promoted to producer and assigned as his first picture, "Time for Two," a story which takes place entirely on a train en route from Los Angeles to New York. Wheelwright was author of "Thunder Afloat," "Blossoms in the Dust" and "Susy Q." Sirk to Direct for Columbia Douglas Sirk^ Danish-born director, has been signed by Columbia on a term deal to direct one picture a year. Sirk directed "Hitler's Madman," the only independent domestic production ever purchased by MGM for that company's release, and "Summer Storm," recently produced by Seymour Nebenzal for United Artists release. RKO Buys Magazine Stories "Chicago Lulu," the Saturday Evening Post story authored by Wayne Whittaker, and "Lady Not Alone," the Katherine Brush story recently published in Good Housekeeping, have been purchased by RKO Radio. Jack Gross, executive producer, has assigned Irmgard Von Cube to write the "Lady Not Alone" screenplay. Laurel & Hardy Comedy Starts With "The Home Front," a new Laurel and Hardy comedy having gone before the cameras last week, nine pictures are currently in production at MGM. Besides the comedy team as stars, "The Home Front" cast includes David Leland, Philip Merivale, Mary Boland, Henry O'Neill, John Warburton and Matthew Boulton. McCallister for 'Winged Victory' Darryl F. Zanuck has picked Lon McCallister, currently appearing in one of the top roles in "Home in Indiana," for an important part in 20th Century-Fox's picturization of Moss Hart's AAF musical, "Winged Victory," which George Cukor will direct. Lesser Adds to 'Family' Producer Sol Lesser has added three more to the cast of his comedy, "Three Is a Family," to be released through United Artists. They are Christian Rub, Tom Dugan and Elsa Janssen MGM's 20-Year Exhibitor Charles A. Midelburg of the Capitol Theatre, Charleston, W. Va., as he appeared recently with Director Mervyn LeRoy (right! and actor Van Johnson on the set of the company's "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo." Oakland College Graduate Set To Portray 'The Great John L' Greg McClure, 26, an Oakland College graduate without any previous screen experience, has been signed by Bing Crosby Productions, Inc., to play the role of John L. Sullivan in "The Great John L," which will be released through United Artists. Wallace Ford will portray McManus, Sullivan's manager, and Linda Darnell and Barbara Britton will also have featured roles in the film. Frank Tuttle will direct. Monogram Gets 'The Shadow' "The Shadow:," famous character of radio and published fiction, will be featured in two Monogram productions on the 1944-45 program, according to contracts signed by Producer A. W. Hackel and the Street & Smith publishing interests. Publicity for the picture will be carried on the radio broadcasts and in "The Shadow" monthly magazine. Cowan Signs Joan Carroll Joan Carroll, teen-age youngster who scored in the Broadway stage production of "Panama Hattie," has been signed by Producer Lester Cowan to play the young girl's part in "Tomorrow the World," United Artists release for which Fredric March, Betty Field, Agnes Moorehead and Skippy Homeir have already been cast. Leslie Fenton will direct. Gets Lead in 'Bondage' Eleanor Parker, as a result of her work in "Between Two Worlds," has been assigned the feminine lead in the new production of "Of Human Bondage," which Edmund Goulding will direct for Warner Bros. Henry Blanke is producer. Gable Named for 'Seattle' Major Clark Gable, recently placed on the Army inactive list, Myrna Loy and Lucille Ball have been named by MGM as the probable leads in "Seattle," which will be produced by John Considine, Jr., and directed by Norman Taurog. 'Black Beauty' in Color ^ "Black Beauty," Monogram's screen adaptation of the Anna Sewall novel, will be filmed in Cinecolor. Keays Directing 'Trigger Law' Vernon Keays is directing "Trigger Law," Monogram western co-starring Hoot Gibson and Bob Steele. IN HOLLYWOOD IT'S NEWS... After seeing the rough cut of "Delinquent Daughters," Leon Fromkess ordered the picture back into work for three more days, the first time PRC has ever made retakes on any picture . . . PhiHp Barry's stage success, "Without Love," will be produced by Lawrence Weingarten for MGM with Harold S. Bucquet directing . . . Elisabeth Risdon, veteran of many fine films, takes on "Fear" as her next bit of characterization . . . Janet Martin gets the "Call of the South Seas" from Republic . . . Eddie Sutherland, directing "Having Wonderful Crime," has added Don Barclay as a comedian . . . "My Baby Loves Music," with Bob Crosby and Grace McDonald . . . Una O'Connor comes in for Warners' "Christmas in Connecticut" . . . Second of the Durango Kid series with Charles Starrett is called "Texas Rifles" . . . Jimmy Lydon will do PRC's "They Eloped One Night" . . . A deal has been made for the publication of the entire score of Andrew Stone's "Sensations of 1945" as composed by Al Sherman and Harry Tobias . . . Constantin BakaleinikofI, head of RKO music department, will do the "Seventh Cross" score for MGM . . . Alan Ladd won an Invasion Day pool among members of the "Two Years Before the Mast" troupe . . . Hugh King, scenario editor for Republic, has borrowed Walter Bullock from Paramount for the "Queen of Avenue A" . . . The beauties Goldwyn has made famous get going again in "The Princess and the Pirate" . . . Jesse Lasky has been given production of two big pictures at Warners: "The Two Mrs. Carrolls" and "Don't Ever Leave Me" . . . Arthur Dreifuss will direct a new Columbia musical, "Hep Cat" . . . Alec Templeton will appear in "Cabbages and Kings" for which he also did the musical score . . . Frank Partos will do the screenplay for "Salty O'Rourke" . . . Seymour Felix is creating the dance and presentation numbers for Republic's "Atlantic City" . . . "Can't Help Singing," co-starring Deanna Durbin and Robert Paige, with a musical score by Jerome Kern, got under way at Universal, and is being filmed in Technicolor . . . Clifford Brooke, an English actor, has been signed by Warners to serve as technical adviser on "Of Human Bondage" . . . Victor Moore plays six characters in Columbia's "Battleship Blues," and wdll have a title card all to himself when the credits for the picture are flashed on the screen : he'll be four brothers and two aunts. RKO Music Department Busy Ten pictures are awaiting their musical backgrounds at RKO Radio's music department, under Constantin BakaleinikofT's direction, with scoring being done on two ("Music in Manliattan" and "The Falcon in Mexico"), music being written for four ("Heavenly Days," "Bride By Mistake," "Mademoiselle Fifi" and "None But the Lonely Heart"), and research being conducted on the scores to be used in four others ("Farewell, My Lovely," "Having Wonderful Crime," "The Pumpkin Shell" and "Tall in the Saddle"). To Head Paramount Trailers .■\ppointment of Phil Pemberton to head Paramount Studio's trailer department has been announced by Robert M. Gillham, national directot of advertising and publicity. Gillham also announced the promotion of Leonard Neubauer of the trailer department to take charge of advertising in the preliminary campaign set-up for pictures. Cox Casting for Monogram Paul Co-K. formerly with Universal and Goldwyn, has been appointed casting director at Monogram. Bette Davis in 'Carrolls' Bette Davis has been set to star in "The Two Mrs. Carrolls" which Jesse L. Lasky will produce for Warner Bros. ADV. What Are Your Needs? Joe Hornstem Has It